Alex Rios’ stiff back and Paul Konerko’s minor yet nagging physical issues will keep the fifth- and fourth-place hitters out of the White Sox lineup Wednesday night.
Rios said his back has been bothering him for a couple of days. He appeared to aggravate it swinging the bat on Tuesday night. Konerko has been receiving treatment for his back, and got clipped on the side of his head by the Royals’ Jarrod Dyson on a play at first on Tuesday.
With an off day Thursday, manager Robin Ventura decided to give them a day off, allowing for a two-day refresher before the Sox open a three-game series against the Oakland A’s on Friday.
“Alex and Paul can play but it’s a good time for them to get their break because it is nagging stuff,” Ventura said.
Alejandro De Aza and Kevin Youkilis returned to the lineup. Youkilis missed Tuesday’s game with a sore knee and De Aza missed two games with a stiff back.
“They didn’t know about everything else [Rios and Konerko] before I talked to them,” Ventura said. “We actually had a lineup without those guys in it. It was creative. It was a fun morning. But they’re fine. They said they were fine before they knew about Paul and Alex.”
The Sox lineup had a strange look with Youkilis batting fourth and Orlando Hudson batting ninth as the designated hitter.
The Sox lineup for Wednesday: De Aza CF, Gordon Beckham 2B, Adam Dunn 1B, Youkilis 3B, A.J. Pierzynski C, Alexei Ramirez SS, Dayan Viciedo LF, Jordan Danks RF, Hudson DH.
