CLEVELAND — The White Sox put Andrew Benintendi on the 10-day injured list with a left adductor strain, retroactive to April 7.
Benintendi suffered the injury Saturday against the Tigers. The injury lingered and caused Benintendi to exit Sunday’s 4-3 loss in the fifth inning.
The left fielder said he doesn’t believe one play caused the injury, but he’s confident that the IL stint will be short.
“Just continue to give it a little rest and do some exercise to strengthen the stuff around it,” Benintendi said Wednesday. “Feels better today than it did yesterday. It’s just one of those things where I think it’s going to take a few days, so I think overall this was the right move.”
Benintendi said he could have played in a few days but that the season’s timing prompted a quick stint on the IL to get fully healthy.
“When his 10 days are up, he should be pretty close to being ready to join us,” manager Will Venable said.
With Benintendi down, infielder Brooks Baldwin and outfielder Michael A. Taylor got the first two cracks at playing left field. Venable is confident in the team’s outfield depth.
“The guys are capable and that’s part of the reason why we’re comfortable just making sure Benintendi is healthy and putting him on the IL,” Venable said. “Knowing we have some coverage here to make sure that we get the job done.”
Benintendi batted .290/.333/.484 with a .817 OPS over nine games.
Jones recalled
Benintendi’s injury opened up a roster spot for the Sox, and they recalled Greg Jones, whom they claimed from the Rockies on March 26.
Jones made his major-league debut last season with Colorado, hitting .200 with a homer and an RBI. Jones brings a power and speed element to the lineup. General manager Chris Getz said the club was drawn to his ability to play in the infield and outfield.
“He’s got tremendous speed, which is something that’s going to be a nice addition to our 40-man roster,” Getz said before Opening Day. “He’s got a history of playing shortstop. He hasn’t played a whole lot of shortstop in the last year, a lot of that had to do with the depth that the Rockies had in the middle of the field.
“But his ability to play all three [positions — shortstop, left field and right field] can be very valuable and give you a lot of flexibility. He can do a lot of things to impact the game. And I think the most obvious thing that jumps out is the versatility and speed.”
Jones batted .267/.344/.453 over 89 minor-leagues games with the Rockies.
Roster moves
The White Sox also signed outfielder Travis Jankowski to a minor-league contract.
When the Sox activated outfielder Mike Tauchman after his return from his hamstring injury on Sunday, the team designated Jankowski for assignment. Venable was excited about what Jankowski could bring to Triple-A Charlotte.
“He’s a real pro,” Venable said. “For him to be in the organization, we know that we’ll likely lean on him at some point this summer. To have him be around our guys there in Triple-A and to contribute to that environment means a lot.”
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