GLENDALE, Ariz. \u2014 White Sox outfielder\/designated hitter Andrew Benintendi<\/b> hasn\u2019t played in a spring game since Wednesday with what he said Monday has been general soreness in his right side.<\/p>\n
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Barring any setbacks, he told the Sun-Times he expects to be back in the lineup for the Sox\u2019 night game Thursday against the Guardians.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It\u2019s early in camp, and we are just being cautious,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
Manager Will Venable<\/b> confirmed the plan before the Sox\u2019 Cactus League game Monday against the Giants.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018He\u2019ll be ready Thursday, we think,\u2019\u2019 Venable said. \u2018\u2018He was swinging today, running around today. He\u2019d probably play if it wasn\u2019t March 2. We\u2019ll give him a couple of more days and get him back out there.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
The Sox will play the Padres on Tuesday, then will enjoy a day off Wednesday. Given that the game Thursday is at night, that will give Benintendi a good portion of the week off.<\/p>\n
He has played in only three spring games and has three hits in seven at-bats, two of them doubles.<\/p>\n
Benintendi is coming off an injury-plagued 2025 season that began when he missed most of spring training after being hit by a pitch and suffering a non-displaced fracture in his right hand. Upon returning in April, he was sidelined by a strained left abductor. The Sox then shut him down in September because of tendinitis in his left Achilles tendon.<\/p>\n
In all, Benintendi played in only 116 games, batting .240 with 20 home runs, 63 RBI and a 104 OPS+, just four points above the major-league average.<\/p>\n
At 31 and going into his 11th big-league season, Benintendi senses he\u2019s at a crossroads.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018We\u2019re not getting any younger,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u2018\u2018Sometimes it\u2019s one thing after another.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Asked what it has been like to be part of another Sox rebuild, he said: \u2018\u2018We\u2019re a couple of years into it now, so it feels less like a rebuild. Guys are getting solidified. We brought in a lot of new guys, and it will be a big year for a lot of guys coming back.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
He\u2019s one of them.<\/p>\n
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Right-hander Davis Martin<\/b>, who started against the Giants, said he\u2019s vying to make the Opening Day start March 26 against the Brewers in Milwaukee.<\/p>\n
Martin, who yielded three runs and four hits, struck out two and walked two in three innings, also said he is eyeing a leadership role on the team.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Everybody is leaning into leadership,\u2019\u2019 Martin said. \u2018\u2018It\u2019s more organic than anything. I don\u2019t think anybody has taken it upon themselves to be, \u2018I\u2019m the leader. I\u2019m the king.\u2019 Everybody has their areas of expertise. I still have to go in and ask questions. It\u2019s a beautiful thing about this game: You\u2019re never done evolving. If I\u2019m in a leadership role, great. I\u2019m going to be myself.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
When he was asked about starting on Opening Day, he said: \u2018\u2018Is it wide-open? I have no idea. We\u2019re going to compete like it\u2019s wide-open.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Sox starter Davis Martin <\/b>allowed three runs, all in the third inning. He walked Buddy Kennedy <\/b>and Jesus Rodriguez<\/b> back-to-back before left fielder Jarred Kelenic<\/b> lost a fly ball in the sun, resulting in a run-scoring double. Martin, however, took responsibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, yeah, but I can\u2019t walk the two guys in front of him,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u2018\u2018I always blame myself. That\u2019s accountability.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2022 MLB announced its Spring Breakout, which is scheduled for March 19-22 this year, will become a tournament next year. The teams will be made up of prospects from all 30 major-league clubs, with the Cactus League and Grapefruit League each crowning a champion. It will feature a single-elimination format.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Kelenic, who is in camp as a non-roster invitee, went 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored and an RBI, but he\u2019s still hitting only .176 for the spring. Kennedy hit the go-ahead home run for the Giants in the ninth.<\/p>\n
\u2022 On deck: <\/b>Padres at Sox, 2:05 p.m. Tuesday, Glendale, Nick Pivetta<\/b> vs. Sean Newcomb<\/b>.<\/p>\n \u201cMy overall goal is to make the Hall of Fame,\u201d Montgomery said matter-of-factly. \u201cI\u2019ll take it a game at a time, and we\u2019ll see what happens at the end of it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sox\u2019 young catchers have done nothing in spring training to lower expectations for them heading into their second seasons.<\/p>\n Acuna might be pegged as the Sox\u2019 center fielder, or at the least one of them, but he\u2019s far from a finished product at a spot that was manned marvelously \u2014 when he was available \u2014 by Luis Robert Jr. the last six seasons.<\/p>\n The left-hander missed the last three months of 2025 with tendinitis in his right knee.<\/p>\n GLENDALE, Ariz. \u2014 White Sox outfielder\/designated hitter Andrew Benintendi hasn\u2019t played in a spring game since Wednesday with what he said Monday has been general soreness in… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":159201,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-159198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n
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