GLENDALE, ARIZ. — Andrew Vaughn landed on his hip after diving in right-center to rob Hanser Alberto of an extra-base hit during Sunday’s Cactus League game at Camelback Ranch.
The right fielder initially thought he was fine.
“Got up, wiggled around a little bit, took that first step and it kind of gave out,” Vaughn said. “My mind went to the worst thought.”
Vaughn was glad to hear of a preliminarily return projection of one to two weeks after he was diagnosed with a hip pointer (bruised pelvis on the right side) Monday.
“It was best-case because you always go to the worst,” Vaughn said. “Once I found out it was that, it was a sigh of relief.”
Vaughn said his improvement is “tenfold better.”
“I was shocked how quick I was starting to feel better,” Vaughn said. “I thought I would be on crutches for a week to two weeks and the second day I came in and I threw the crutches in the training room and said ‘I’m good.’
“I’m up walking and I feel pretty good now. Probably (Tuesday) was the best day. Got off the crutches and it’s just a nasty bruise. It’s like the worst charley horse you ever had. It just sticks around and it’s lingering. But it’s going away. Have a lineman hit you with his helmet — that’s what I’ve been told it feels like.”
Vaughn took some swings Wednesday, but manager Tony La Russa is preaching patience.
“The reports were that we dodged a severe bullet,” La Russa said. “But he’s going to have some soreness and just going to have to go reasonably slow with him. He came in and dumped his crutches. That’s a good sign.”
Vaughn has had a strong spring, slashing .467/.529/.667 with one home run and an RBI in six Cactus League games.
“I made some minor adjustments at the plate,” he said. “Kind of locked myself down to the ground a little better and been feeling really good.”
A natural first baseman, Vaughn adjusted quickly to the outfield as a rookie last season after left fielder Eloy Jiménez suffered a ruptured left pectoral tendon in a Cactus League game. Vaughn played 95 games in left field and 18 in right.
“It’s become more natural, it really has,” Vaughn said. “Not doing it for forever until last year really, just being comfortable with D-Bo (coach Daryl Boston) working out there. Actually game reps help the most.”
Vaughn noted some differences between playing left and right fields.
“There are more right-handers in the game, so there are more balls slicing to right field than sliced to left and just got to get used to it,” he said.
Vaughn’s goal is to return “sooner rather than later.”
“It’s all on feel and just got to go day by day and see how it goes,” he said.
Asked about the April 8 opener against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, Vaughn said “I’m just looking forward to tomorrow.”
“That’s the hope but you can’t rush things,” he said. “(I) Don’t want to overdo it.”
While Vaughn is unavailable, some of options for right field include Gavin Sheets, Leury García, Adam Engel and Micker Adolfo. Engel started in right in Wednesday’s Cactus League game against the Texas Rangers.
“Keeping him healthy would be a plus,” La Russa said of Engel, who was limited to 39 games last season. “That would be big for us.”
The Sox on Tuesday acquired outfielder Adam Haseley in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies.
“He’s a left-hand talent,” La Russa said of Haseley. “Anxious to get him in here and see what he looks like. Another thing is we trust the front office. They’ve earned the trust of fans and everybody like us that’s trying to win.”
