Sox not planning to shut down Peavy

Jake Peavy was able to play catch out to 90 feet at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday afternoon.

The White Sox' new starting pitcher is still feeling the effects from getting hit on the right elbow during a rehab start with Class AAA Charlotte on Aug. 24, and Peavy might not be able to get back on the mound this season.

But Sox general manager Kenny Williams said the 2007 National League Cy Young Award winner is not going to be shut down as long as the playoffs are a possibility.

"I just met with the doctors, there's a little bit of inflammation still that is contributing to the problem, but structurally he has been checked out, as you can imagine, in every way, shape and form," Williams said. "It's a bone bruise, and bone bruises sometimes take time. But as long as we are in this thing, he's going to try to keep going out there and loosening up and getting it ready, and we're going to allow it to happen. So any talk about shutting him down, from anybody other than me, is premature."

DH 2010: GM Kenny Williams said he's already talked to Jim Thome about possibly returning as the White Sox' designated hitter next year.

Traded to the Dodgers on Monday, Thome is eligible for free agency at the end of the season.

The Sox are going to need a left-handed bat, preferably with some power, and Thome fits that bill. But the future Hall of Famer recently turned 39 and he's had trouble staying healthy.

"It's too early to go down that road," Williams said. "We most assuredly will need a left-handed bat. I'm not so sure going forward the best course of action for us is to have a pure DH rather than kind of keep it a rotating DH to give guys a break."

Vote of confidence: GM Kenny Williams isn't pointing a finger of blame at hitting coach Greg Walker or anyone else on the staff.

"I support Ozzie (Guillen) and the coaching staff, and they know it," Williams said. "When you get to a position like this, you can point fingers very easily. You can point them at the players, you can point them at the coaching staff or an individual coach or the general manager who puts everything together.

"However, as soon as you start to do that, the worse you become. And I'm not going to let anyone fall into that trap."

Rotation roundup: Had the White Sox lost to the Cubs Thursday or the Red Sox on Friday and lost more ground to the first-place Tigers, Daniel Hudson might have made his first major-league start against Boston.

The White Sox will stick with John Danks on Sunday and Mark Buehrle on Monday. Hudson pitched relief Friday night.

The Red Sox were going to start rookie Junichi Tazawa today, but they've opted to go with veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who last pitched on Aug. 26 against the White Sox at Fenway Park before experiencing back discomfort.