White Sox catcher Nieto escapes serious injury

"I looked at the replay and I can't believe it," White Sox catcher Adrian Nieto was saying on Monday. "That could have been bad. Really bad. I guess somebody up there is looking out for me."

In the minor leagues, Nieto said he was involved in two bad collisions trying to tag out runners at home.

"The first one, I didn't know it at the time, but I had a concussion," the Sox' backup catcher said. "I had a really bad headache for two weeks, but I just kept playing. That's just how it was at the time. The second one, a guy went out of his way to make contact and I hurt my knee. Missed a few games."

Like most major-league catchers, Nieto is a tough customer. But he is also lucky to be healthy after Toronto's Jose Reyes stepped on the back of his left ankle during a play at the plate Sunday.

"I didn't really feel him step on me," Nieto said. "It was weird, man, honestly. It felt like something was on me, but it didn't feel like a foot. Luckily, he wears plastic cleats so that helped out a lot."

As for Rule 7.13, which is designed to protect catchers from collisions, Nieto is in favor of the new policy.

"If you want to risk it and take a throw up the line, you should be fair game," Nieto said. "But as long as the catcher is in front of the plate, I don't think there should be any collisions."

Dunn's deal:

Is Adam Dunn going to retire at the end of the season?

Is he going to try catching on with a team next year that has a realistic shot of making the playoffs, something Dunn has never experienced?

Until he gets away from the current grind of the game, the Sox' 34-year-old designated hitter is not quite sure what his future holds.

One thing is certain - Dunn's four-year contract is up at the end of the season and he won't be back with the White Sox.

"As long as I'm having fun doing it, I'm going to continue doing it, whether it's today, tomorrow, a week from now, 10 years from now, I don't know," the Dunn said. "There are a lot of factors. It's not just going out and playing baseball anymore. I'm not a 22-year-old single guy anymore.

"There are a lot of things that play into coming back and your decision. When I figure out what I'll do, y'all will be about the 50 or 60th people I'll let know."

Eaton progressing:

Adam Eaton, out with a strained right oblique, might be able to come off the 15-day disabled list on Sunday and play against New York at Yankee Stadium.

"Everything felt great," the White Sox' center fielder said after taking some light swings and throwing Monday.