White Sox outfielder Adam Engel was with the team in Detroit Monday and is expected to be reinstated from the injured list before Tuesday’s game, manager Tony La Russa said.
Limited to 33 games and 121 plate appearances because of hamstring, shoulder and groin injuries this season, Engel is batting .248/.339/.505 with seven homers. A Gold Glove finalist as a center fielder in 2018, he shapes up as a valuable component for the postseason roster.
“It was good to see him,” La Russa said. “Looks good, feels good.”
Engel has been on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte. In eight games this month, he was 4-for-26 with one home run and 10 strikeouts. Engel started all three games of the Wild Card series against the Athletics last season, going 3-for-12 with a homer and a double.
Aches and pains
Andrew Vaughn, on the IL retroactively since Sept. 10 with lower back inflammation, is experiencing discomfort when he runs but is taking swings in the cage and “making progress all the time and is on his way,” La Russa said.
Right-hander Ryan Tepera, a key piece of the bullpen who cut the index finger on his pitching hand on a door frame in his apartment last week, played catch for the second-straight day but is still feeling discomfort.
A day off for Abreu
Jose Abreu generally leaves the manager with a fight on his hands if he wants to give the first baseman a day off. But La Russa said Abreu didn’t object too much Monday when the Sox opened a three-game series in Detroit.
“It’s a good time for it,” La Russa said. “I can tell, he was less insistent than usual. He’s got sore spots all over.”
Abreu has been hit by a pitch 20 times and does not wear protective padding as most other players do. He leads the team with 142 games played (of 149). Yoan Moncada is next with 132, followed by Vaughn (120), Leury Garcia (114) and Tim Anderson (112)
Keuchel’s turn
Carlos Rodon, 6-2 with a 2.41 ERA in his last eight outings, starts Monday against the Tigers (5:40 p.m. CT). It will be Rodon’s first start since Sept. 10 as he eases his way back from shoulder discomfort.
Tuesday starter Dallas Keuchel (8-9, 5.23) is 0-3 with a 10.02 ERA and a .394 opponents average over his last five starts. In his last outing, Keuchel pitched around five walks to post six innings of two-run ball in a 3-2 loss to the Angels Wednesday. It was the former Cy Young winner’s first quality start (six or more innings, three earned runs or fewer) since Aug. 5.
It’s magic
The Sox magic number to clinch the American League Central title is four. The earliest clinch date is Tuesday, which would take wins against the Tigers Monday and Tuesday plus two Indians losses, or one win plus three Cleveland losses.
