DETROIT — Liam Hendriks is slated to pitch live batting practice Friday at Comerica Park. It could be the White Sox’ All-Star reliever’s final step before joining the team.
Hendriks, working his way back from Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, impressed manager Pedro Grifol in his last live session in Cleveland Monday.
“As soon as he throws it we’ll take a look at it, sit down as an organization and see where we go,” Grifol said.
Hendriks wouldn’t be activated until Monday at the earliest, when the team returns home to play the Angels. Grifol repeated that Hendriks won’t be rushed back.
“It all depends on how he looks tomorrow, the progression that he’s made, where he feels he is, how his body feels, where we feel he is. We’re going to make sure his comeback is — he’s ready to go and be the Liam Hendriks we all want him to be and he wants to be.”
Catching tandem
Seby Zavala caught Lucas Giolito for the 10th time in 11 starts, which is no coincidence because they work well together, per Giolito, but Grifol said Yasmani Grandal not catching a second straight day was more about “wanting to keep both guys going” as a tandem.
Grandal will continue to get the bulk of the work, and could catch the last three games of the Tigers series.
“It was just a manager’s decision,” Grifol said.
“Seby did a good job [catching a 6-0 win over Cleveland Wednesday], I wanted to get him in there today, I wanted to keep both those guys going. And I believe they’re a tandem together and doing a good job.”
Grandal was batting .279/.347/.434 with four homers. Zavala was batting .158/.198/.250 but is better defensively.
“I don’t want to leave one guy on the bench and not play for a week,” Grifol said. “I want to keep them both healthy, both going.”
Kelly’s zing thing
Reliever Joe Kelly, who “got a weird zing” in his left hamstring making a play on a tap in front of the mound Tuesday in Cleveland, was expected to be available Thursday.
It was the same hamstring Kelly strained running on the field for a bench-clearing incident in Pittsburgh in April. In Cleveland, Kelly got checked by training staff and finished a scoreless inning.
“Only happens when I get in awkward situations, know what I mean?” Kelly said. “That’s what happens when you’re 34, about to turn 35. Young in the real world but not here.”
Kelly made a good play off the mound but “when I went down to pick up the ball and went sidearm, I flew open and got a weird zing. But it’s all right.”
Andrus eyes rehab next week
Infielder Elvis Andrus (left oblique) is expecting to go on a minor league rehab assignment early next week with the expectation of returning by next Friday when the Sox open a weekend home series against the Tigers.
Andrus has been durable throughout his career and is unfamiliar with oblique injuries.
“First time, so that’s why I’m being very cautious with it,” Andrus said. “Strange water, so trying to be smart. Especially with the team playing good right now, no reason to rush it.”
*Outfielder Billy Hamilton, on the IL since May 10 with a left hamstring strain, is rehabbing at the team’s training complex in Arizona.
