Shoulder the load: Madrigal ready for 2021

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Nick Madrigal thought he would be close to 100 percent at the start of 2021 Spring Training even after undergoing left shoulder surgery following the 2020 season.

Through the first week of action, the White Sox second baseman’s expectations have been met.

“I'm feeling really good at this point. I'm getting stronger and stronger,” Madrigal said. “The soreness is starting to go away. I'm starting to face live pitching and take a lot more swings on a daily basis.

“I've done some diving on the field, back into bags [as a base runner] and also on the defensive side. We've got a sliding mat set up out there to try to kind of emulate some diving drills. It's feeling really good at this point.”

Madrigal suffered a separated left shoulder via an awkward slide going from first to third on a Luis Robert single during an Aug. 4 contest in Milwaukee. He played with soreness and some hesitation to swing because of nervousness about it popping out again upon his return on Aug. 29. But now he’s ready to get into Cactus League action within the next week or two and build off last year’s .340 showing across 29 games.

“I feel like I can do a lot more to help this team, whether that's on the basepaths or in the batter's box, on the defensive side,” Madrigal said. “I didn't even showcase what kind of player I truly am. I'm excited to go out there, especially being a lot healthier this year and feeling almost completely 100 percent at this point. I'm excited to play my game.”

Moncada closer to full go
Yoán Moncada could play third base when the White Sox open Cactus League play Sunday at home against the Brewers, according to manager Tony La Russa. That news was given to La Russa Thursday morning, despite Moncada being restricted on throwing from third base due to normal early Spring Training soreness.

“Now that surprised me and I’m definitely not going to push it. So, we’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” La Russa said. “We’re taking legitimate infield relays and all that stuff, see how his arm feels.

“But this morning I was told that we could write him in either Sunday or Monday at third base. If not, if he’s still a little iffy, just back off and make sure he’s 100 percent when we get him back.”

Early view of La Russa
Reviews continue to be positive for the early stages of La Russa’s second tenure as White Sox manager.

“He likes the old-school coaching. He does a lot of different things on the baseball field,” Madrigal said. “The one thing I enjoy, talking baseball with him, he thinks about the game like I do. If there's situations where you need to bunt or slash, things like that, he's open to those things. I've grown up playing that style of baseball.”

Outfielder Adam Engel referred to La Russa as “very, very cerebral” and “very, very methodical.”

“It seems like every step he takes, there's a reason why he takes it,” Engel said. “That's kind of the vibe that I'm getting from him. It seems like he's thought through everything. He's got a reason for everything. And he tries to communicate that with us too.

“That's another really cool thing about Tony is there's no question marks behind what he's doing. He's going to tell you why he's doing it. If it seems different, he's going to tell you why. He's incredibly smart, incredibly wise, a ton of experience. You can just tell that nothing surprises him, it seems like. He sees stuff and it's like he saw it coming. He knows what he's doing, knows what he's talking about.”

Third to first
• The White Sox have sold out 13 of 14 home Cactus League games, with a seating capacity of 2,400 at Camelback Ranch for this pandemic influenced Spring Training. The only game with tickets still remaining is March 2 vs. Texas.

• Lucas Giolito, who figures to be the White Sox Opening Day starter, threw the equivalent of three innings to catcher Jonathan Lucroy during Thursday’s live batting practice session.

“You put a sign down and he was going to throw in that general direction of the plate. I was pleased,” La Russa said. “The concentration was there, third batting practice. It’s a good sign.”