Roughly two weeks after returning from cancer treatment, White Sox closer Liam Hendriks was put on the 15-day injured list Sunday (retroactive to Saturday) with what the team is calling right elbow inflammation.
General manager Rick Hahn stepped to the podium to give as detailed an account of Hendriks’ status as possible ahead of the series finale Sunday against the Marlins.
Hahn said Hendriks first experienced discomfort in his elbow — near the forearm — after getting the win in the Sox’ 2-1 victory Friday against the Marlins. That discomfort persisted on Saturday, when manager Pedro Grifol said Hendriks was not available for what turned out to be a 5-1 loss.
He was evaluated further, then put on the injured list.
Hendriks, Hahn said, reported similar symptoms to the flexor strain in his throwing arm that shelved him for just under a month around this time last season. But the theme was that it’s too soon for a firm diagnosis or return timeline.
“He’s undergoing additional examinations at this point,’’ Hahn said. ‘‘He’s not at the ballpark; [he’s] seeing our doctors. I suspect we won’t have a specific update until probably Tuesday.”
The team’s first concerns, of course, were personal. Hendriks returned May 29 after being diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in December. This setback adds another layer of adversity to his road back to the All-Star form he achieved the last two seasons.
Could his ramp-up in a rare circumstance have contributed to the injury?
“Based on everything we know, I feel confident in saying that the ramp-up and the return to play did not influence this result,” Hahn said. “Has everything he’s been through, medically and physically, over the last six months, let’s say, potentially led us here? Maybe. I don’t know if anyone’s ever gonna know that.
“But in terms of once he was cleared and how he was ramped up and how he returned to play, I don’t think that’s a factor based on the number of medical professionals involved, ranging from our orthopedic people, to his oncologist, to rehabilitation specialist, to the number of check-ins with where he was at physically along the way. This is perhaps the most thoroughly vetted return to play of any player in certainly my recent memory.”
And then there’s the baseball angle. The Sox’ bullpen had been a strength since the start of May, even before Hendriks’ return. But Joe Kelly and Kendall Graveman blew save opportunities in spectacular fashion Saturday and Sunday, which dumped cold water on the club after it had won six games out of seven.
The pen’s depth will be further tested by another absence, regardless of how long Hendriks is out.
The silver lining is that power-throwing left-hander Garrett Crochet is back after missing the first seven weeks of the season while finishing his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Tanner Banks was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move after Hendriks went on the IL.
But it will be difficult to replace Hendriks’ high-leverage track record on the field and gregarious presence around the clubhouse.
“Obviously he’s a big part of our team, big part of our bullpen,’’ Grifol said. ‘‘It’s unfortunate, especially after how he got through what he got through. It impacts us as a club emotionally; it impacts our roster. But we gotta continue to move forward, and hopefully he can recover from this. That’s all we can do.”
The hope is for additional clarity by Tuesday, when the Sox start a six-game West Coast swing in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.
