With each White Sox loss, the reward of returning from injury before the end of the season is offset more by the risk of aggravating that injury and adding more questions to an uncertain winter.
And in the cases of shortstop Tim Anderson and outfielder Luis Robert, their comeback attempts don’t seem urgent as the Sox sink further from playoff contention.
After getting swept this week by the first-place Guardians, the Sox showed some passion Friday night but still fell short in a 5-3 loss to the Tigers that extended their losing streak to four games and dropped them to one game above .500 (76-75).
Right fielder Andrew Vaughn robbed Javy Baez of a home run in the fifth inning, and AJ Pollock hit a two-run, game-tying homer in the sixth. But catcher Yasmani Grandal’s errant throw on a steal attempt set up a sacrifice fly by Riley Greene in the seventh.
“I wouldn’t say it’s surprising or shocking,” starting pitcher Lucas Giolito said of the late skid. “We’ve had a whole season of not putting things together. Tonight was another tough loss late, but I think we got a lot of motivation, at least for myself. I have a lot of motivation for these last two starts and an important offseason before next season.”
Giolito overcame a 3-0 deficit by making an adjustment to his delivery in the third that made his changeup more effective. He allowed six hits but finished with nine strikeouts in six innings.
Meanwhile, acting manager Miguel Cairo remained optimistic that Anderson — trying to return from a tear in his left middle finger suffered Aug. 6 — could rejoin the Sox before the end of the season. However, two factors cloud his return. First, Friday’s loss dropped the Sox to eight games out of first place in the American League Central with 11 games left.
And although Anderson started facing live pitching this week, a minor-league rehab assignment is questionable since Triple-A Charlotte’s season ends Wednesday.
“If he’s got to do it, he’s got to do it soon,” Cairo said. “But let’s see what happens, and if the trainers come up with a plan.”
Cairo stressed he wants Anderson to return to the lineup, but not at the cost of re-injuring himself.
“You got to be 100%,” Cairo said. “But of course, I would like to see him lead off and be with our team at the end of the season.”
Robert, who was hit on his left wrist by a pitch earlier this month, didn’t start for a third consecutive game, and the Sox might be destined to shut him down if he can’t play without pain after two at-bats. He has started in only six of the last 24 games and has just one hit in his last 28 at-bats (.036). The extra rest might be the last attempt to see if he can heal to the point of returning, but if he does, Cairo is wary of him overcompensating.
“You’re going to be trying to do something with your hands or your stance, you’re going to create bad habits, and you don’t want that on Luis,” Cairo said.
Vaughn empathizes with Robert’s plight, especially after getting hit in the right hand by a pitch in late April.
“I felt it for two months after it happened,” Vaughn said. “But I had to go through it and strengthen it. I hope it gets better.”
