Guillen cautious about Peavy

MESA, Ariz. — White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy played catch Thursday and could throw a bullpen session this weekend as he recovers from soreness in his right shoulder.

Manager Ozzie Guillen was taking a cautious approach toward Peavy.

“I don’t get involved with pitchers anymore,” Guillen joked. “I’m going to try to be like (former Cubs manager) Lou Piniella from now on.

“When Peavy’s ready, I’ll be more than excited and happy. I have a rule. If you’re not in the program, I cannot worry about you. I had great news. The great news is they told me he’s OK. They say he feels a lot better. I can’t wait to see this kid back on the mound.”

The Sox do not know if Peavy will break camp on the active roster or when he’ll be able to pitch. He’s trying to come back from major surgery on the shoulder area.

“If Peavy’s ready to pitch, believe me, I’m the happiest man on earth,” Guillen said. “Meanwhile, like I said from the first day of spring training, since January at (SoxFest), we’ve got to be really careful. We’re going to go little by little and make sure it works because this man is very valuable to the White Sox for this year. I don’t care about next year. I might not be here next year. This year, this guy’s very valuable to us.”

Still a starter:

Cubs right-hander Andrew Cashner will get another Cactus League start, and as of now, manager Mike Quade said there is no immediate temptation to put Cashner back into the bullpen.

The question came up in the wake of Wednesday’s solid outing by veteran Carlos Silva as he bids for the fifth spot as well.

“No temptation at all right now because it would do us no good if I’m running him out there as a starter and not taking that seriously, or all of a sudden, on the basis of 4 or 5 starts, abandon this completely,” Quade said. “If that’s a decision that’s made, and I don’t know when that would be, if it’s made late this week, if he breaks as a starter, the only time I will consider the other side of it is when his success as a starter, or lack thereof, has come to the point where we don’t need to talk about what’s best for him and the club. Right now, I think we’ll continue to let him pitch and let this play out.”

Thrown for a Looper:

Veteran pitcher Braden Looper worked 2 inningsfor the Cubs in their 8-7 win over the Sox, giving up 3 hits and 1 run. He’s battling for a job as a nonroster man.

“He’s got two options,” said Mike Quade. “He’s got back end of the bullpen and fifth starter. You believe he can do either one, if that’s the way we go. That versatility and the fact he’s a veteran all plays into it.”

Ouch:

White Sox leadoff man Juan Pierre fouled a ball off his right shin in his third at-bat and was taken out of the game. The Sox said it was for precautionary reasons and that Pierre wanted to remain in the game.