Quentin still sore but happy to be back

The sellout crowd of 39,024 at U.S. Cellular Field was on its feet Monday night.

So was Carlos Quentin.

After spending nearly two months on the disabled list with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, Quentin was back with the White Sox.

Starting in left field and batting sixth, Quentin was 1-for-4 against Tampa Bay.

Quentin said he's not 100 percent but good enough to resume playing for the White Sox.

"I have some soreness," Quentin said. "It's something I'll just deal with, but it's nothing compared to what I experienced in the past before the injury and after the injury. I'm confident that, knock on wood, I won't have any setbacks, and I think we tested that."

In 14 rehab games with Class AAA Charlotte and A Kannapolis, Quentin batted .375 with 4 doubles, 1 home run and 10 RBI. It seemed like Quentin was playing in the minor leagues for months, but the extended stay was by design.

"I think I stayed the extra time to answer that question for myself," said Quentin, who had trouble running the bases until about a week ago. "I feel confident that I'll be able to put forth my best effort and, understanding the nature of the injury, that the foot may be sore. So I feel very confident that I can go out there and play or else I wouldn't be here."

The White Sox were 26-19 without Quentin, but they welcomed the slugger back to the lineup.

"It's a big bat that we can add right in the middle of the lineup," Paul Konerko said. "It's tough to see Brian (Anderson) go. He's a big part of the clubhouse, so that's not a fun part of it.

"But that's the way this game goes. I think Carlos is feeling good. Hopefully we keep him that way and he has a great second half here."

Manager Ozzie Guillen isn't going to be overly cautious with Quentin.

"If he gets reinjured, we have someone else here to replace him," Guillen said. "I'm not going to sit and worry about any player getting hurt. That's the risk you take. We've been playing for a year-and-a-half without him; last year we missed him for a long time and so far the start of this year.

"Obviously, when Carlos is in the lineup he makes the lineup stronger, makes the lineup better, and he makes the team look a lot different, no doubt about it. In the meanwhile, we've got to do what we do."