José Abreu insists he can play day after collision originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
José Abreu, unsurprisingly, wants to be in the lineup Saturday.
That's nothing unusual, of course, as the White Sox first baseman loathes days off. But after he collided with Kansas City Royals third baseman Hunter Dozier in frightening fashion Friday, needing assistance walking off the field and suffering a bruised and cut face, as well as a bruised knee, it's downright ridiculous.
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White Sox manager Tony La Russa reported Saturday afternoon that his starting lineup was on hold while he waited for the team's trainers to medically clear Abreu to play.
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"Last night to today, he’s made a remarkable comeback, as far as the appearance," La Russa said. "He’s moving around. He’s actually taking some swings. He’s insisting he’s good to play.
"I figure it will be a medical determination. He gets checked at 4:30. And if they give him an OK, he plays. If they say he should wait another day, he doesn’t. So they have certain protocols to look at.
"Last night, the concussion thing was OK. Now, it’s just the collision and getting back out there 24 hours later."
Abreu has already cleared himself, though that came well before Saturday, with starting pitcher Lucas Giolito relaying that Abreu said he wanted to stay in the game right after the collision happened in the first game of Friday's doubleheader. La Russa said Abreu wanted to get into the second game, too, though the White Sox thought better of that request and decided to rest their most important hitter and clubhouse leader.
That Abreu will return to the White Sox lineup either Saturday or Sunday is incredible considering just how ugly the collision looked. La Russa said Saturday that the audio element of the collision was just as unpleasant as the visual one.
"I don’t think I’ve ever heard that kind of collision on a baseball field ever," La Russa said. "The fact that they are both going to come out of it without anything serious is really a stroke of good fortune. It was scary. Looked scary, sounded scary."
But time and again, Abreu has shown that he will sacrifice his body for this team. Good thing he's a fast healer, too. The White Sox need him, especially after the collision left the clubhouse shaken, as La Russa said Friday night.
"The club is already boosted," La Russa said. "He’s walking around, and he’s like the bull that wants to get into the ring. He’s already given them inspiration, but the question is: Does he play? They know it’s going to be now or tomorrow. We already got the Pito boost.
"There’s a chance he plays tonight. And if he doesn’t, there will be a very impatient first baseman playing tomorrow."
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