How will the White Sox use Liam Hendriks upon his return? originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
White Sox closer Liam Hendriks is expected to be activated ahead of Monday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Hendriks' return to the mound will be a unique, historic, goosebump-evoking moment for him, his family, the White Sox and fans everywhere. Nearly seven months ago, Hendriks was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkins lymphoma. On Monday, he could return to the mound for the first time since October 2022.
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He underwent four rounds of chemotherapy and immunotherapy from December to April. Although, Hendriks remained active during treatments and recently completed a rehab assignment in Triple-A and two live bullpen sessions with the team.
RELATED: A look at Liam Hendriks' timeline up until activation
His battle with cancer and long path to recovery, however, begs the question -- how should the White Sox use him during preliminary games?
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The White Sox told the media on Monday ahead of the game that they don't plan to use Hendriks in the ninth inning right away, unless it happens that way.
"Liam is a part of our (bull)pen now," Grifol said to the media on Monday. "The idea for me in talking to him is to break him in another inning that's not the ninth inning. However, baseball has a way of handling that itself. I definitely would not hesitate to do it. But right now our conversations have been throwing innings prior to the ninth."
One thing we don't know is how Hendriks' battle with cancer has affected his physicality and performance. Hendriks said in May, there is little research done on the correlation, or the cause and effects, of athletic performance and cancer.
That's one reason he was able to complete bullpens during spring training and remain active while going through treatments; there isn't one way to go about completing athletic tasks safely with cancer outside of monitoring your body as you complete them.
Hendriks' velocity has dipped a little, topping his fastball out at 94 mph while with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. During his final and most recent live bullpen session, Pedro Grifol mentioned his velocity "ticked up" in comparison with his first bullpen session.
Considering he went through cancer treatment as recently as early April and his velocity may not be up to his standard at the moment, it might be safe to avoid handing him the task of closing out games in the ninth inning.
NBC Sports Chicago analyst and former White Sox skipper, Ozzie Guillen, mentioned that as his best believed course of action for Hendriks upon his return to the mound.
"I don't think Hendriks should be the closer," Guillen said. "Not right now. The bullpen's been very good. They have to put him in a real game to see what he can bring.
"I know Hendriks' got an unbelievable mind to be the closer. But I think I would build him little by little to get him to that point because they have so many good arms in the bullpen."
Putting it all together, the White Sox could give him a sort of Reynaldo Lopez treatment. Lopez started as the team's closer, executing two solid outings in their first series against the defending World Series champion Houston Astros.
After some struggle-filled outings, however, the White Sox relegated Lopez to the seventh and eighth innings, placing him in situations where he can thrive without the added pressure of finishing the game.
As Guillen said, Hendriks' mentality won't disconcert him because of his cancer diagnosis and elongated period of not throwing in a game. But the last thing the White Sox want to do is alter his confidence by assigning him the heaviest task in baseball.
Remember, the White Sox have been diligent with him already. Since returning from a long rehab stint in Triple-A, the Sox have put him through two bullpens and sat down with him each time to review and decide the next steps.
Some might believe, considering the White Sox' fourth-place standing in the AL Central and 11 games below .500 record, they would use every weapon at their disposal to climb back the rankings. But that seems, as Guillen said, "not fair" to Hendriks.
Hendriks is the type of athlete to request the ninth inning and the return to his native post. But if the White Sox are smart and considerable, they'll wait to let him have the coveted final frame of any tight game.
That's a tough task to stave, considering the aforementioned reasons and the Sox' habit of letting games get away from them late. As recent as the Sox' last game on Sunday, Joe Kelly lost the White Sox the lead in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Detroit Tigers walked off Lopez in the 10th inning.
It's a hard job. And an important one for the Sox, at that. Getting Hendriks back in the bullpen almost eliminates their worry about giving up a lead in the ninth inning.
But it's a blessing the White Sox should probably wait to exercise until Hendriks is back in season form and ready to eviscerate batters in the ninth inning.
