Sox injuries: Fry out till May, Madrigal rehab 'going great' originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Rick Hahn arrived at spring training with some injury news.
White Sox relief pitcher Jace Fry will be out until May, the general manager relayed the day pitchers and catchers reported to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, the result of back surgery performed over the winter.
"Jace Fry, in January of this year, underwent a microdiscectomy in his back," Hahn said. "The surgery was successful. It was similar to the one he had in 2012, and he obviously recovered well and performed well after which. However, it is setting him behind, and we do not expect him to be ready, likely, before May 1. Jace will start the season on the IL due to the back issue."
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The left-handed Fry put up some improved numbers during the shortened 2020 campaign following a bumpy 2019 season, lowering his ERA from 4.75 to 3.66. He allowed eight runs in 19.2 innings of work.
Considering the strength of the White Sox 'pen, losing Fry might not seem the biggest deal, and it's certainly possible the team's cadre of menacing relief arms will thrive in his absence. Though it is worth noting that Fry is perhaps unique among the team's lefties, what with the relief corps' other two southpaws, Aaron Bummer and Garrett Crochet, anticipated to play important roles as multi-inning options against both hands of batters.
Elsewhere on the injury front, Hahn reported that second baseman Nick Madrigal is expected to be playing in Cactus League games come early March. Madrigal recently told Our Chuck Garfien on the White Sox Talk Podcast that he expected to be full go by the middle of spring training, out of precaution, following rehab from his offseason shoulder surgery.
"Nick’s rehab is going great," Hahn said. "The short answer is we expect him to be ready without restriction come Opening Day. The longer answer is he’s like one week away from being fully complete with his rehabilitation.
"The last step, according to (the trainers), is controlled diving, so psychologically he gets used to that so the first time he dives it isn’t in a game. And we should see him in Cactus League play come early March."
Madrigal originally injured his shoulder in one of his first big league games, dislocating it while sliding into third base in Milwaukee. Thankfully for the White Sox, they didn't lose Madrigal for long, and he was able to impress during his first taste of the big leagues, albeit it while playing at far less than 100 percent, according to him.
A healthy Madrigal should be able to show the White Sox even more of what's made him one of the highest rated prospects in the game in 2021.
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