Feb. 25--White Sox reliever Nate Jones spent most of the last two springs battling and then recovering from injuries, so he was "pretty jacked up" when he threw live batting practice to hitters on Wednesday at Camelback Ranch.
After Jones came back from elbow surgery in August to post a 3.32 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 19 innings, he enters this spring as a key cog in a bullpen the Sox hope is a strength.
"The farther away we get from Tommy John surgery, it's just about feeling healthy and smooth, and I felt that's what I accomplished today," Jones said. "First time we are seeing hitters in there, too, so I try not to get too jacked up like I was. Just throwing strikes with everything -- fastball, changeup, slider."
Jones was a candidate to be the closer in 2014 and manager Robin Ventura said he likely will be a seventh- or eighth-inning option this season. Jones signed a three-year, $8 million contract in the offseason that demonstrated the club's faith in him.
"For Nate, (it's about) just coming in here with a clear mind," Ventura said. "Last year, he was spending more time in the training room than anything else. It's good for us. It's great for him to see him healthy out here, just getting ready like everybody else."
Bullpen back intact: The Sox return their bullpen mostly intact from 2015. Closer David Robertson, late-inning options Jones, Zach Duke and Matt Albers, right-handers Zach Putnam and Jake Petricka and left-hander Dan Jennings all seem to have inside tracks on roster spots.
But Ventura said the Sox also could go with a long reliever such as Jacob Turner. Of those names, only Jones, Putnam and Petricka have minor-league options.
"There are a couple of wild cards in there, depending on the route we want to go," Ventura said. "Do we want more innings out of that spot or cover it with just using more guys consistently?"
New tone: Ventura wouldn't reveal much about his opening message to the team, but he did say it was direct and his tone was different than in years past.
"You want to make sure they understand," Ventura said. "We didn't enjoy the way we played the last couple of years. We have a group that can be fundamentally sound, and it's vital for us to be successful."
