Top Chicago White Sox prospects working their way back from injuries
Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said top prospects Eloy Jimenez and Alec Hansen are making steady strides in their return from injuries.
Jimenez, who ranks No. 4 on Baseball America's Top 100 prospects list, has been sidelined the past week.
"He has a mild pec strain he sustained while lifting weights at Camelback Ranch," Hahn said. "We expect he'll be playing in extended (spring training) games probably next week and after he gets a few of those under his belt, he'll rejoin (Class AA) Birmingham."
Hansen, who led the minor leagues with 191 strikeout in 2017, is on a throwing program after being shut down with muscular soreness in his right forearm early in March.
"It's actually similar to something that apparently he went through in high school," Hahn said. "So it wasn't a shock to him that he was experiencing this and obviously it turned out to be something he could put behind him.
"We wanted to make sure he was 100 percent healthy and pain free before starting to ramp up a throwing program, which we've now done."
Seeing triple:
Despite the difficult weather conditions in Thursday's home opener, the White Sox's Yolmer Sanchez went 3-for-5 with 2 triples and 3 RBI.
The third baseman also made a solid defensive play in the eighth inning, starting a double play that helped bail reliever Nate Jones out of big trouble.
Sanchez said he never has played in weather conditions like Thursday and didn't know what to expect.
"It's crazy, but you have to make adjustments and do everything to keep working," he said. "That was fun, but it was cold, too. I tried to see the ball, hit the ball and try to do the simple things. Today, it worked out for me, so I'll try to keep up with that."
Long time gone:
It was bitterly cold and snowy at Guaranteed Rate Field on Thursday, but Nevest Coleman was thrilled to be back on the job.
While working on the White Sox's ground crew in April 1994, Coleman was arrested and charged with murder.
Coleman served 23 years in prison before DNA evidence exonerated him in December of 2017.
Once free, the White Sox were happy to offer Coleman his old job back.
"You sit back and you are locked up, you just think about what's going on and try to move forward in life and try to pick out what I'm going to do when I get out," the 49-year-old Coleman said. "How am I going to support myself? The White Sox gave me that opportunity."