David Sandlin’s return to the White Sox could be a short one.
The 6-4 right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte to start Friday’s game against the Kansas City Royals, and manager Will Venable indicated it might be a brief stay.
“I think it’s fair the way we go about all these rotation cycles is just take it one at a time,” he said. “He’s in there right now. There’ll be potentially different needs next time. We don’t ever really look that far ahead. It’s really about here and now, which we’re excited about. After this one, we’ll see where we’re at.”
The 25-year-old Sandlin made a memorable major-league debut against Minnesota on May 27. He gave up a leadoff homer to Byron Buxton and then retired 18 straight batters in the Sox’s 15-2 victory. He struggled in his next start at Minnesota and in relief against Philadelphia before getting sent down.
Sandlin has a 1.57 ERA in six starts with Charlotte. He could be headed back there with left-hander Noah Schultz close to returning from right knee tendinitis. Schultz started Friday for Charlotte.
“See how he gets through it,” Venable said. “Hopefully, it’s a good, clean one, he feels healthy, he’s able to get his touches on the mound, his pitch count up there. We’ll see where he’s at, we’ll see where this spot’s at next time around.”
Schultz is 2-4 with a 5.82 ERA in eight starts for the White Sox.
Rehab likely for Murakami
Venable said there’s a good chance Munetaka Murakami will go on a rehab assignment before he comes off the injured list, though no decision has been made. The Japanese slugger has been sidelined since May 29 because of a strained right hamstring.
“A long layoff like that, I think potential for a rehab assignment is appropriate,” Venable said. “Again, no decision has been made. Kind of see where he’s at, see how this thing goes and certainly the longer it goes, the more incentive there is for a rehab assignment. At the same time, with Trajekt and all the things he can do to prepare outside of a rehab game, feel like he could also be ready to go with a different path. We’ll see when we get there.”
Venable said Murakami is running at about 85% and the “hitting intensity is ramping up.”
Murakami was hurt beating out a double play against Detroit. He was tied for first in the AL with 20 homers and was leading the league with 43 runs at the time.
Stone back
Longtime analyst Steve Stone was back in the booth for Chicago Sports Network after missing the previous two games because of an illness.
Field reporter Brooke Fletcher filled in for him on Tuesday and Wednesday against Cleveland working alongside play-by-play announcer John Schriffen. She became the White Sox’s first female dedicated TV analyst. The team was off on Thursday.
Moment of silence
The White Sox observed a moment of silence for Venezuela after the country was rocked by back-to-back major earthquakes on Wednesday, leaving at least 920 dead and 51,000 missing, according to the Associated Press.