White Sox lose Grandal (knee injury) for 4-6 weeks
On Monday, Yasmani Grandal's knee injury looked bad.
On Tuesday, the news followed suit.
Grandal - the White Sox's No. 1 catcher and second-leading home run hitter (14) - is out 4-6 weeks with a torn tendon in his left knee.
In Monday's 8-5 loss to the Twins at Target Field, Grandal checked his swing in the sixth inning, hopped out of the batter's box on his right leg and fell to the ground in pain.
"I just think it was the twist he made as he made his swing," Sox manager Tony La Russa said before Tuesday night's game at Minnesota. "Something got caught. It didn't free up. You make a turn on it and it got caught and something popped. I'm anxious to get the full diagnosis. He's on his way to Chicago, maybe in Chicago already. We'll know more tomorrow, but I know the expectation is that he's going to be out for a significant period."
It's yet another major injury to a key player for the White Sox.
Left fielder Eloy Jimenez went down with a ruptured left pectoral tendon late in spring training, center fielder Luis Robert tore his right hip flexor in early May and Nick Madrigal tore his right hamstring in June. Outfielder Adam Engel also has missed most of the season with a hamstring injury.
Madrigal is out for the season, but Engel is due back soon and Jimenez and Robert should return in August or September.
To their credit, the Sox have thus far not only stayed afloat but remained on top of the AL Central by a comfortable margin.
"It's only as difficult as you allow it to be," La Russa said. "We control our minds and our hearts. If we want to act frustrated and discouraged and that we've been unlucky, then we're going to lose an edge.
"It's how you can handle it. The games count. Somebody's going to play in their place. We worry more about Yasmani. He was as productive as any position player we had here for the last month or so. It's just a tough break for us. Tougher for him."
While he's batting only .188 for the season, Grandal was 21-for-82 (. 256) with 8 home runs and 20 RBI over his last 26 games. The switch hitter also ranks second in the American League with 60 walks.
The White Sox recalled catcher Seby Zavala from Class AAA Charlotte to take Grandal's roster spot.
The 27-year-old Zavala was hitting .178 with 5 home runs and 15 RBI in 33 games with Charlotte. He made his major league debut with the Sox in 2019, going 1-for-12 in five games.
Zavala is scheduled to catch Lance Lynn in Wednesday afternoon's game vs. the Twins. Zack Collins was behind the plate Tuesday and figures to get the bulk of the playing time unless the White Sox trade for a catcher.
"If there is a move the front office can make that's reasonable ... but to do something unreasonable, I don't think is necessary," La Russa said. "One thing is, Zack earned the job. Zack's caught a lot of big games. If something's reasonable, I think our guys will be interested. If not, don't do anything that's going to be unreasonable just to make a move."