Feb. 28--White Sox center fielder Adam Eaton has been sitting out of outfield drills during the first week of spring training at Camelback Ranch as he tries to build back strength following minor offseason surgery on his left shoulder.
With Cactus League games set to begin Thursday, Eaton said he is not sure when he will begin playing in the field, but he said he fully expects to be ready for opening day April 4 against the Athletics.
"If I could play tomorrow, I probably could, but there's really no reason to, for multiple reasons, not just my shoulder but my body in general and making it the whole season," Eaton said. "We just want to make sure I have a little better arm than I did last year from the middle of the season on with the injury. There's no reason to panic or think that we're not going to be there. I'll definitely be there."
Eaton played through shoulder pain in the second half of last season and underwent a nerve decompression in the back of his shoulder.
The injury does not affect his hitting, so he could still play in games as the designated hitter, as he did occasionally last season.
Eaton has been throwing earlier in the mornings, continuing a program he started when he arrived at Camelback Ranch in January.
"We're going to stick with our routine that we have right now," Eaton said. "I feel comfortable with it, so we'll stick with it."
