Abreu, McCann sit out Chicago White Sox's loss to Twins
Giving Jose Abreu his first day off of the season Sunday was no simple task for Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria.
The veteran first baseman has looked gassed since the second half of play began, and Abreu was clearly in need of a breather.
There was just one problem for Renteria.
"(Abreu) said he was going to have to call his mom today to make sure she doesn't get too upset because she sees him as a grinder and he's got to be out there," Renteria said. "She's probably going to be upset he's not in the lineup. So I said, 'That's OK, if you need me to, I'll talk to her.' "
In addition to the long grind of the season, Abreu played in the All-Star Game earlier this month instead of taking the full break.
He's batting .200/.235/.262 in the second half with 1 home run and 6 RBI.
The Sox are off Monday, so Abreu gets some extended rest.
"As we were watching this whole week unfold, you can see he's tired," Renteria said. "He comes into my office every night kind of yelling at me, and so (Saturday) he was coming in and I said, 'You're not going to convince me. You're not getting in the lineup, so don't say a thing.' "
McCann sits:
In addition to Jose Abreu, White Sox catcher James McCann was held out of Sunday's loss to the Twins. McCann is batting .135/.167/.308 with 3 homers and 3 RBI in the second half.
"He's been another guy I've been running out there a lot, whether it's been catching or DHing," manager Rick Renteria said. "He needs a break. He's really pushed himself; he's been a big part of who we are, obviously through the first half and even now catching a lot of these guys. It's very important for him and Wely (Welington Castillo) to start splitting a little bit of the time.
"I want Mac to take most of the time with these guys, but we're going to continue to make some adjustments."
Roster move:
After activating Eloy Jimenez off the injured list Sunday, the Sox cleared a roster spot by designating infielder Jose Rondon for assignment.
In 55 games, Rondon batted .197 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI.