Guillen says he won't rush Konerko back into lineup
Paul Konerko had a cortisone shot on Thursday to ease another round of pain in his right thumb.
There's a chance the White Sox' captain will be in the lineup tonight at Milwaukee, but his return will more likely come Saturday.
"I wish I could play him (Friday)," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "In the meanwhile, I'm not going to have him get hurt and give me a bad at-bat just because we need him on the field. If he can't go the right way, if he can't tolerate the pain, then (Josh) Fields will be playing first base."
Fields filled in at first base against the Tigers Thursday while Konerko tried to recover from the nagging injury.
"It's no different than anything I've had last year and in the past," Konerko said. "It's just trying to manage it to keep the pain down, and sometimes it gets to the point where you can't do what you want to do out there. That's kind of where it's been the last couple of days, last night for sure.
"All in all it's been good this year. I've made it through the first 60 games with it. It's always going to be there, it's just a matter of managing it. We just have to get the pain to where it's not affecting the way I swing a bat."
That's where the cortisone shot comes in. Konerko already had one during spring training and was going to have another at the all-star break.
"I wish I could do that (shot) once a week, but you can only do it once every couple months," Konerko said. "We'll just do it now and it's just a little bump in the road, and I'll be back out there."
Family affair: Last year, the Sox drafted Kenny Williams Jr., son of general manager Kenny Williams, on the sixth round.
In 2007, the White Sox drafted manager Ozzie Guillen's son Oney on the 36th round.
The Sox were at it again on Thursday, selecting Kenny Williams' youngest son, Tyler, on the 43rd round.
On the 45th round, the White Sox drafted outfielder Harold Baines Jr., son of first-base coach Harold Baines.
And on the 46th round, the Sox drafted pitcher Grant Monroe out of Northwest Florida State College. A Schaumburg High School product, Monroe is the son of White Sox adviser Larry Monroe.
Back in the mix: After losing his starting job at third base to rookie Gordon Beckham, Josh Fields is filling in for Paul Konerko at first base.
Guillen said it hasn't been easy putting Fields on the bench.
"I always try to give the guys a chance," Guillen said. "It's a shame. As the manager and as a friend, you feel for the guy. I feel for my players. I care about those guys.
"I wish when I played for a manager that treated me the way I treat them. Am I hard on them? Yeah, I have to be. This is my job. In the meanwhile, when the game is over, they know I'm for them. If they don't know that, find somebody else better."