Vaughn begins left-field audition for Chicago White Sox

Andrew Vaughn embarked Friday on his bid to replace the injured Eloy Jimenez in left field, when he started in the 7-5 victory over Milwaukee.

In 4 at-bats, he grounded out, struck out twice, and finally reached on an infield single.

On the defensive side, he caught a flyball in the seventh.

Before the game, White Sox manager Tony La Russa dangled the possibility that Vaughn, who played his first game at the position Friday, could be the opening-day left fielder.

"I really believe, based on what I'm going to see the next few days, that if he's the best choice for Opening Day in left field, I would play him. I think it really depends on what the roster looks like.

"We have some choices to make with the last couple of spots. One of them has to do with an outfielder, so it may be the outfielder is a better choice for it."

La Russa expressed little concern about Vaughn's ability to play the position, saying "I'm certain that the worst he will be is a little above average. I think he will be above average."

He added, "Infielders are used to jumps. It's not unique to him or foreign to him. He'll be fine."

La Russa puts things in perspective:

It is not necessarily a cardinal rule that losing a top player permanently blocks a team's path to the playoffs. The road to October can be a rocky one, as the White Sox learned this week with the loss of Jimenez.

La Russa recalled that in 2011, his St. Louis Cardinals were written off during spring training, when the team's projected opening-day starter, pitcher Adam Wainwright, was lost for the season that February with an elbow injury.

The Cardinals went on to win the World Series.

"I actually remember a major magazine writing an article that I still have that said, 'The Cardinals are officially out of it and now it's the Brewers and the Reds.' "

But, he said, "We looked at what we had and not what's missing and Kyle McClellan, who was in the bullpen, stepped in. That's exactly how you handle it.

"Everybody has adversity. You just can't make any excuse. It's going to happen. You've just got to be tough enough to deal with it, and I know we're tough enough."

White Sox fans might remember when third baseman Robin Ventura suffered a broken leg and a compound fracture of his right ankle on a play during spring training in 1997. Ventura's spikes stuck in the dirt when he attempted a slide at home plate.

Although the Sox didn't reach the postseason during that year of the white flag trade, Ventura returned to the lineup in the last week of July.

And in 2005, the White Sox only had Frank Thomas for 34 games and won the World Series.

Hendriks passes test:

Following a bout with kidney stones, reliever Liam Hendriks was back in action Friday. He entered in the sixth inning and struck out the side.

Cease grinds out another win: Pitcher Dylan Cease maintained his spring momentum with a solid 5-inning effort in Thursday's 9-4 victory over Cincinnati.

Cease earned his second straight win, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits with 6 strikeouts.

he did, however, have to work around 4 walks.

Cease said, "The first four weren't very sharp, but we finished on a strong note and I plan on taking that through the rest of the spring and into the season."