When Yasmani Grandal writhed outside the right-handed batter's box at Target Field and departed the area without putting any weight on his left leg on Monday night, it made it easy to fear the worst.
When Grandal was able to head to the clubhouse under his own power after sitting in the dugout for a few minutes, it opened the door for a better prognosis, even if Tony La Russa's postgame report of Grandal on crutches tempered any true optimism.
Take them both into account, and the subsequent roster move more or less fits the visuals. The White Sox placed Grandal on the injured list with a torn tendon in his left knee. He's expected to miss four to six weeks, and Seby Zavala is the first man up to fill the roster spot.
That timetable puts Grandal on track for a mid-August return, which is better than the alternative of a ruptured something or other. He'd dealt with right knee soreness and tightness in his left calf throughout a first half that resulted in a slash line that could often be described as "grotesque," with an IL stint seeming inevitable at points. However, a .256/.392/.561 stretch since the start of June had raised his batting average to .188, which is out of "historically low" territory.
Of course, that just makes his absence loom larger, especially since Zack Collins will have his hands full with the defensive responsibilities as well, and Zavala went 1-for-12 with nine strikeouts in his first cup of coffee with the White Sox back in 2019. There's also the possibility of a setback in Grandal's recovery, which is a standard caveat that looms larger in a season with so many leg injuries around baseball.
La Russa said Zavala will catch Lance Lynn on Wednesday. Collins is supposed to start tonight, although a dreary forecast in Minneapolis makes it possible that nobody plays. The lineup isn't one anybody is particularly itching to see.
Things should look a little better on Wednesday, as La Russa said the White Sox will activate Adam Engel from the injured list. Engel hasn't been seen since June 19, when he reinjured a hamstring that already cost him the first two months of the season.
(Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire)
