The injuries will not stop.
Shortstop Danny Mendick injured his right knee in the second inning of the White Sox’s 9-5 loss against the Blue Jays at Guaranteed Rate Field on Wednesday and had to be helped off the field after a collision in foul territory with left fielder Adam Haseley.
One inning later, right fielder Adam Engel left the game with a sore right hamstring.
Mendick needed assistance walking off and was unable to put pressure on his right foot. Manager Tony La Russa said Mendick’s right knee banged against his left knee.
“He’s got a pretty good-sized bruise,” La Russa said.
La Russa called Engel’s hamstring “concerning.”
Mendick was running down a pop fly off the bat of the Blue Jays’ Santiago Espinal when Haseley, running over from left field, crashed into him after making the catch.
“It’s an in-between ball where when it falls and somebody doesn’t take charge, it’s right in the middle of those guys,” La Russa said. “It’s unavoidable. He made a hell of a play.”
Mendick was 13-for-46 (.283) with two homers and 10 RBI in his last 11 games.
Mendick and Engel will be further evaluated Thursday. If one joins the Sox’ long list of players on the injured list, Gavin Sheets likely would be called up from Charlotte.
Robert has ‘ouchies’ too
Luis Robert wasn’t moving at 100% on the bases and in the outfield because of leg soreness, La Russa said, and was pulled in the eighth inning. La Russa didn’t rule out Robert playing Thursday, though.
“We’ve got to track Luis, his legs,” La Russa said. “It was a good time to get him out of there.
“When he doesn’t go [hard], he doesn’t go to second, you know he’s feeling some ouchies there.”
Robert extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
Jose Abreu insisted on playing despite soreness in his hip. He was the designated hitter.
Lopez still wants to start
Reynaldo Lopez wants to be a starting pitcher again in a bad way but is adapting to regular work as a reliever and a different mindset that comes with it.
“Now I have one plan for every hitter,” Lopez said.
With a four-pitch arsenal he still uses in relief, Lopez is still suited to start. He believes the bullpen experience will help him become a better starter if and when that happens again.
He is counting on that happening.
“Oh yeah, 100%,” Lopez said. “I have the faith I can be a starter again.”
The Sox’ rotation is set and Lopez is needed in a bullpen thinned by injuries and usage, so it’s the pen for now.
He has been a value piece in several roles, including starting as an opener. Lopez hasn’t allowed a run in his last seven appearances, three of them two-inning stints.
Lopez was the Sox’ best starter in 2018 when he posted a 3.91 ERA over 32 starts.
Foster returns, Martin departs
Right-hander Davis Martin was optioned to Charlotte to make room for righty Matt Foster, who returned from the bereavement list.
Jays hitting coach ejected before game
Jays hitting coach Guillermo Martinez had harsh words for umpire Doug Eddings and was ejected before the game when he brought the lineup card out to home plate. Per Umpire Scorecards, Eddings missed 26 ball/strike calls in the Sox’s 7-6 win in 12 innings Tuesday.
