White Sox send Avisail to DL for thumb strain

CHICAGO -- Avisaíl García was placed on the 10-day disabled list Thursday due to a ligament strain in his right thumb.
The injury was revealed through an MRI on Wednesday after the All-Star right fielder came to the team with continued discomfort in that area. The White Sox recalled outfielder Willy García from Triple-A Charlotte and purchased the contract of left-handed pitcher Aaron Bummer from Charlotte.
"I've been [feeling it] in games every time, but I wasn't paying attention to it because that's something that happens," said Avisail Garcia, wearing a splint on the thumb and talking from the White Sox dugout. "Now I have inflammation. Hopefully it's for 10 days. It's not too serious. Let's see what happens."
"It's just a matter of letting the thumb heal and getting him back out there," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. "He's been fighting through this for a little while now, and it got aggravated at some point over the last day or so."
Garcia, 26, has a .303 batting average with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs during this breakout campaign. But he finished 0-for-5 in Tuesday's 7-2 loss to the Cubs and has gone 3-for-24 without an extra-base hit or RBI over his last six games.
That inflammation, located at the base of his right thumb, was hampering Garcia when gripping and swinging the bat.
"I feel a big difference," Garcia said. "That's why I decided to go to the doctor today because I couldn't swing the same way that I have to swing.
"You could see yesterday, 0-for-5. I've been swinging too much with my shoulders. Trying to force it. I don't have to force it. If something's wrong, I have to stop because I want to help my team. I don't want this to happen. But it happened. That's baseball. So I've just got to take care of this and be back and ready."
There's no concern Garcia will need surgery. But with the inflammation in the thumb and the inflammation remaining in his right middle finger that cost him three games from July 6-8, Garcia knew it was time for a rest.
Willy Garcia, 24, is batting .259 with five doubles, three triples, one home run, 10 RBIs and 12 runs scored in 35 games over two stints with the White Sox this season, his first in the Major Leagues. He also is hitting .286 with five homers, 20 RBIs and a .396 on-base percentage in 31 games with the Knights.
Bummer, 23, has made 20 combined appearances (one start) between Double-A Birmingham and the Knights this season, going 1-3 with a 2.84 ERA, three saves, 39 strikeouts in 38 innings and a .248 opponents average . He opened the season with the Barons and made 17 appearances before being promoted to Charlotte on July 17. Bummer has limited opponents to a .140 average with runners in scoring position.
In other White Sox injury news, outfielder Leury García began a rehab assignment, for a sprained finger on his left hand, Wednesday with the Arizona Rookie League team. Garcia has been working out in Arizona after going on the disabled list June 19.
Outfielder Luis Robert, the No. 26 overall prospect per MLBPipeline.com, has been participating fully in pregame work after injuring his left knee meniscus at the start of July. It's a matter of another few days before Robert returns to his first game since July 4 with the Dominican Summer League team.
Fantasy spin | Fred Zinkie (@FredZinkieMLB)
Garcia has been one of the biggest waiver-wire gems this season. However, he's struggled to the tune of a .162/.215/.243 slash line since June 23, and he remains one of the most undisciplined hitters in baseball (41.3 percent chase rate, 4.4 percent walk rate in 2017). Owners in shallow formats can likely afford to move on from the injured 26-year-old in favor of a replacement such as Trey Mancini, Gerardo Parra or Matt Adams, while those in deeper leagues can stash Garcia and take a look at Clint Frazier, Bradley Zimmer or Shin-Soo Choo.