CHICAGO (670 The Score) – White Sox closer Liam Hendriks rejoined the team Thursday in Chicago and seems ready to be added to the 26-man roster soon.
Hendriks had been scheduled to make another rehab outing for Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday evening, but that plan changed as he’s in the final stages of working into form after overcoming stage-4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Hendriks revealed his cancer diagnosis in January and quickly began treatment, then announced on April 20 that he was cancer-free.
Hendriks will now throw Friday in either a bullpen session or live batting practice, manager Pedro Grifol said. A return date isn’t set yet, but Hendriks is close.
“He just needed a little bit of a change because rehabs can become pretty draining for people as well,” Grifol said of why Hendriks didn't make one more rehab outing at Triple-A. “So the change of venue and getting up here in the stadium with the guys, sometimes that helps the mindset of it all. Physically, he is doing well.”
The 34-year-old Hendriks allowed six earned runs in five innings of work in six rehab outings at Triple-A Charlotte, but the White Sox are unconcerned by those results. They’re instead focused on his ability to repeat his pitches and recover from day to day, with Grifol noting that his health scare was much different than returning from an injury.
“There are usually blueprints for certain injuries,” Grifol said. “You set a schedule and go from there. On Liam, there is no blueprint for his situation. There is just very little information or data to map out rehabs and returns. You also have to go with what the player is telling you as well.”
Hendriks was in good spirits while making the rounds with teammates Thursday.
“He is on schedule,” Grifol said. “He is a good self-evaluator, and so he will be telling us what he feels.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
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