advertisement

Chicago White Sox put Putnam on DL with sore elbow

Zach Putnam is still resting his right elbow and waiting for the discomfort to subside.

Putnam was hoping to stay on the active roster, but the Chicago White Sox's relief pitcher is now recovering on the disabled list.

Before Tuesday night's game against the Royals, the Sox placed Putnam on the 10-day DL and recalled Chris Beck from Class AAA Charlotte.

Putnam, who had elbow surgery last August, is hoping to avoid a similar fate this season. In 7 appearances this year, he has a 1.04 ERA with 9 strikeouts in 8⅔ innings and a microscopic 0.35 WHIP.

"We needed to make a determination today," manager Rick Renteria said of placing Putnam on the DL, which is retroactive to Sunday. "He had started on the (anti-inflammatory) medication and we were very hopeful he would feel enough difference when he came to the ballpark. It was just minimal. For us, we needed a guy in the pen, so it makes more sense to put him on the DL and have Beck take over."

More early work:

Before Monday's game against Kansas City, the Sox were on the field 30 minutes earlier than usual.

They took fielding practice before taking their usual batting practice.

Manager Rick Renteria wasn't sure what the response would be, but White Sox players liked the early work and asked to do it again Tuesday.

"I definitely like it," shortstop Tim Anderson said. "It gives you a chance to focus on one thing at a time. When you're taking groundballs during b.p., you're always dodging line drives."

Renteria said it's up to the players to decide if they want to continue with the extended pregame work.

"We kind of talked to everybody (Monday) to see what they felt, if they liked doing the groundball drills and some of the other work prior to hitting, and they kind of seemed to gravitate toward it a little bit," Renteria said. "It was very positive, their response.

"So we figured we'll do it again and see if they want to continue to do it. They're the ones playing, they're the ones preparing to do what they need to do, and anything we can give them to make it easier and more comfortable we're going to do."

Rodon update:

Carlos Rodon was still with the White Sox on Tuesday, but the starting pitcher again declined to speak to the media.

On the disabled list with left-biceps bursitis, Rodon has talked to manager Rick Renteria.

"He's not happy he's on the DL, but he's moving forward," Renteria said. "I think he knows that he's moving positively. I think like any athlete, you want it to be faster, quicker. I don't think there's any question that anybody that's in that particular position would be necessarily happy. But he's dealing with it as best as he can and I know he's moving forward."

Bright future:

Before joining the Sox on Tuesday to replace Zach Putnam, Chris Beck spent the first three weeks of the season with Class AAA Charlotte, a team loaded with top prospects such as second baseman Yoan Moncada.

"He gets touted for his talents and stuff like that, but the work ethic he has, he's a quiet guy and at the same time a great locker-room guy to have," Beck said. "He communicates well, meshes with the team well. It's another refreshing face in the locker room and a great talent, but the work he puts in on the back side, it goes unnoticed, but that's what people see in his numbers."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.