Sox's Grandal adjusts after changing catcher's stance due to knee injury
When the White Sox played the Indians in Cleveland Tuesday night, Yasmani Grandal was charged with 2 errors - both on catcher's interference.
"I usually get one a year," Grandal said Friday before the Sox opened a nine-game homestand against the Rangers. "But having to change my catching stance, it's been definitely a work in progress."
Early in spring training, Grandal twisted his right knee during a running drill and was limited to 10 Cactus League games.
Breaking camp with the White Sox, Grandal was still not 100% when the season started on April 1 against the Angels.
The knee discomfort has limited his early playing time, and it's also forced Grandal to alter his setup behind the plate.
Instead of the standard squat, Grandal has been catching with his right knee on the ground. Backup Zack Collins also catches with one knee down.
"I've been trying it out," Grandal said of his old setup. "(Tuesday) night, I tried it out a little bit. But until I feel like I'm 100 percent ready to get back to my regular stance, it's probably going to be down in a one-knee stance for a while."
In addition to the two interference calls, Grandal also had a passed ball Tuesday.
In his first 12 games at catcher, he had 3 errors for interference and 3 passed balls.
As he gets used to the new catching style and the knee improves, Grandal expects the defense to follow suit.
"I think I have a pretty good feel for it right now," he said. "At times, it gets a little off just because the timing gets off. But it's all a matter of time and a matter of being behind the plate. The one thing I have seen that is helping out the most is being able to block.
"It's helped me out blocking a lot, it doesn't take a toll on your body as much as the other stance would. That's why the idea of having a hybrid and maybe going 50-50 with it, that might be a good idea."
No matter what stance he's in, Grandal is going to try and frame pitches into the strike zone. He'll have to work on avoiding catcher's interference.
"I know Yas has no fear back there," manager Tony La Russa said. "I do think it's common sense that if you're really trying to frame the ball, you're going to have your glove in the strike zone a little early, maybe a little later. I don't know that I want to fault our catchers for doing that because every strike that they can get, they get bonus points for strikes that you get called and for occasional catcher's interference."
Grandal, in the second season of a four-year, $73 million contract with the White Sox, said his knee is starting to feel really good and his playing time should increase.
"We're definitely seeing some significant changes," Grandal said. "I think we're headed in the right direction and I think we'll start playing a little bit more now. Instead of two days in a row, I think I'm allowed three or four days, which is going to allow for those (at-bats) to kind of come along.
"It's going to be one of those things where we'll have to keep monitoring it and see where we're at, but we're definitely headed in the right direction."