Encarnacion homers in intrasquad game; Renteria on family leave
Like everyone else, Edwin Encarnacion would have preferred playing a normal 162-game season. No doubt abut it.
But when major-league baseball was shut down for over three months by the coronavirus pandemic, the White Sox's new designated hitter used the time to get healthy.
The 37-year-old Encarnacion, who signed a one-year, $12 million contract with the Sox in January, was slowed by back soreness early in regular spring training and hip soreness right before camp closed.
He's feeling much better after a week of summer camp at Guaranteed Rate Field.
"The break helped me just to get better from my soreness," Encarnacion said. "I took advantage of it and I feel very good, strong physically."
A prolific power hitter, Encarnacion hit a solo home run off standout Sox relief pitcher Aaron Bummer in Thursday's intrasquad game at Guaranteed Rate Field.
"I'm just glad he's on our side now," Bummer said. "I'm glad that he got one when it didn't count. It's just kind of fun to watch. Going out and throwing against your own guys, it's kind of fun to begin with, just to see that.
"And then all of a sudden, you see the lineup we're putting out there. I walked in, it was (Jose) Abreu, Encarnacion, Eloy (Jimenez). It's not going to stop. I think the depth of that lineup has gotten a whole lot longer, and I'm glad that they're all on our side."
With no fans on the stands, Enacarnacion's teammates yelled for him to do "The Parrot" as he circled the bases.
Encarnacion, who leads the majors with 297 homers since 2012 and has 414 over his 14-year career, obliged. He held up his right forearm while running, like he was carrying the tropical bird on the home run trot.
"The parrot made an appearance on the South Side," bench coach Joe McEwing said after the White Sox's first scrimmage game of camp. "You can't put a measure on it, what (Encarnacion) means to this ballclub, not just in the clubhouse but on the field. When he steps in the box, it's a presence."
Renteria absence:
Sox manager Rick Renteria traveled to California on Thursday for a family funeral. Bench coach Joe McEwing is filling in.
The White Sox said Renteria will "rejoin the team ASAP after he clears all of the necessary protocols upon his return."
One of the protocols could be a 14-day quarantine.
On Monday, Chicago issued an emergency order instructing anyone traveling to the city from 15 states that have seen a surge in COVID-19 cases to self-quarantine for two weeks.
California is one of the 15 states, so it's not clear when Renteria might be back at Guaranteed Rate Field.