Graveman could have stopped Monday's bleeding, but Sox want him healthy later in the year

If Kendall Graveman was available out of the White Sox's bullpen, Monday night's disastrous loss to the Guardians very likely would have been avoided.

The Sox signed the veteran relief pitcher to a three-year, $24 million contract in late November to do what he does best: shut down opposing hitters late in games.

They also know Graveman had Tommy John surgery late in the 2018 season and shoulder issues before that.

The obvious thought is that keeping the 31-year-old righty healthy early in the schedule should pay off later in the year and possibly into the playoffs.

So when Cleveland was overcoming an 8-2 deficit with 6 runs in the ninth inning Monday, Graveman was not asked to help put out the fire.

"We were on pace for 93 innings through 25 days," Graveman said Tuesday. "I had 14⅓ innings through 25 games. It's a good workload, I'm glad I was able to have that workload, but there are normal ebbs and flows throughout a season that we just really haven't hit.

"We have a good training staff, we have a good coaching staff, and then myself included, we've got to be very good at communication. Hey, we want to pitch in September and ultimately have the privilege to maybe pitch in October and sometimes you have to be smart on the front end. We had a three-week buildup this spring training and we came out guns blazing."

Last season, Graveman pitched a combined 56 innings for Seattle and Houston and he was 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA and 10 saves. In his first 14⅓ innings with the White Sox, Graveman has a 1.88 ERA.

"We're humans, we're not robots," he said. "Sometimes it's hard to look in the telescope and look at the big picture and not always be looking in a microscope at one game. Sometimes you have to."

Vaughn update:

Out since April 30 after being hit by a pitch on the right hand and landing on the 10-day injured list, outfielder Andrew Vaughn headed out of town Tuesday night and he'll begin a rehab assignment with Class AAA Charlotte Wednesday.

If all goes well, Vaughn should be able to rejoin the White Sox relatively soon.

"I believe we're just going to see how he feels," manager Tony La Russa said. "He's got a little soreness so get in a game and see how it feels. You get to the big leagues, he's going to want to be as good as he can be."

Eloy update:

After having surgery on April 26 to repair a torn hamstring tendon, Eloy Jimenez is expected to return in 6-8 weeks.

The Sox's left fielder was sweating profusely and encouraged with his recovery after going through another workout before Tuesday night's game against Cleveland.

"When I went down, I never thought nothing bad that I could not play," Jimenez said. "I was just a little bit frustrated because I was feeling good and then that happened. Right now, I'm feeling pretty good with the results that we have and hopefully I'll be back sooner than later."

Feeling the heat:

After being activated off the injured list Monday, new Sox reliever Joe Kelly pitched right away. The 33-year-old righty threw 1 scoreless inning and his fastball clocked in at 98-99 mph.

"I'm not going out there trying to throw 100," Kelly said. "It's going to be trying to compete and drive it through the lane or the power position I'm putting my body in. Once that feels good, everything kind of takes care of itself. I'm not velocity hunting, but with a little bit of adrenaline and first game back, just to be able to command the emotions and being back is pretty good."