March 20--Adam Eaton said he felt comfortable in his White Sox spring debut in left field Saturday after playing his first nine Cactus League games at designated hitter.
Eaton was on a throwing program early in spring to build up strength in his left shoulder after he had nerve decompression surgery in October. He said he threw more than he ever had before and probably could have returned a week or two earlier if the Sox hadn't been overly cautious.
Eaton was a center fielder in 266 games over the last two seasons, so Saturday marked a position change as he played next to newcomer Austin Jackson.
"He's a good communicator, knows his hitters, which is good," Eaton said.
Eaton has a little more than two weeks to become readjusted to the outfield before the season opener, and he said it could take until then to get used to playing with Jackson
"I'm sure we'll get plenty of experiences together, ball in the gap, ball down the line, communication in the air," Eaton said. "The more experiences we can get together, the better."
Sox manager Robin Ventura said his plan for how he will use Eaton, Jackson, Avisail Garcia and Melky Cabrera in the outfield will evolve based on opponents and player performance.
He also likely will use a combination of that group at designated hitter after the unexpected retirement of Adam LaRoche, and he said he expects them to accept the role.
"They don't like it all that much, but that's where we're at," Ventura said. "The pride factor is they want to play. I totally understand that, but we're in a situation that somebody might have to (be the DH) on occasion."
Upcoming debut: Left-hander Chris Sale made his Cactus League debut Saturday, leaving right-hander Mat Latos as the only potential member of the rotation not to pitch in a spring game thus far.
Latos is scheduled for his first Cactus League start Tuesday against the Giants. He pitched in a B game Thursday and said it went "really well." He said his knee, with which he had injury and strength issues the last two years, continues to feel good.
"Earlier in the game, I had good command of the fastball, and some of the offspeed pitches," Latos said. "Everything feels good. I'm just anxious to get into a ballgame now and face some big-league hitters."
Minor move: Left-hander Zach Phillips declined an outright assignment to Triple-A Charlotte and became a free agent.
