Renteria now a full-blown South Sider as Sox prepare to visit Cubs

Rick Renteria had every right to feel a little awkward when the Chicago White Sox played a two-game interleague series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field in 2017.

It was Renteria's first trip back to the North Side as White Sox manager since being fired by the Cubs after one year (2014) in the same role.

When Renteria returns to Wrigley Tuesday for the first of two interleague games, he'll be feeling much more at ease.

"I'm a South Sider," the 57-year-old manager said. "I'm a White Sox. Period. Exclamation point. Triple, four times."

While he was focused on the Yankees Sunday at Guaranteed Rate Field, Renteria did take a moment to look ahead to the upcoming two games against the Cubs.

"We look forward to going in there and competing against another major-league club in our own city," Renteria said. "It's a great rivalry. It's a great challenge for us. We look forward to going over there and trying to do well, just like we try to do well against every club we compete against."

Recovering Covey:

Dylan Covey missed his second straight start Sunday as he recovers from inflammation in his throwing (right) shoulder.

If all goes well, Covey could be back on the White Sox's roster and pitching again at Texas over the weekend.

"I threw off the mound (Saturday)," Covey said. "It went OK. It was not so much throwing multiple pitches, hitting my spots, just more like see how it feels.

"It went OK. I came in today for a bounce back day to see how I recover and I felt really good today. A positive step."

In 9 games (7 starts) this season, Covey is 1-4 with a 4.58 ERA.

Roster move:

After Sunday's lopsided loss to the Yankees, the Sox optioned relief pitcher Thyago Vieira to Class AAA Charlotte.

In four stints with the White Sox this season, Vieira is 1-0 with a 9.00 ERA.