Farquhar 'progressing well' after surgery
White Sox right-hander recovering from brain hemorrhage
CHICAGO -- An increased positive vibe existed among White Sox players and coaches Monday after hearing the encouraging update about Danny Farquhar, the man reliever Chris Beck called the clubhouse "glue," who is currently a patient at Rush University Medical Center after suffering a brain hemorrhage and ruptured aneurysm during the team's game against Houston in Chicago on Friday night.
According to a Monday release from the White Sox, Farquhar's medical team reported he is progressing well following a successful surgery Saturday to address the aneurysm. That surgery performed Saturday was the lone one performed upon Farquhar.
Farquhar has use of his extremities, is responding appropriately to questions and commands and is speaking to doctors and his family. He remains in critical, but neurologically stable condition in the ICU unit at RUSH.
Players sent texts of support to Farquhar and continued praise for their valued teammate, along with expressing some sense of relief.
"It lifts the spirits a little bit, but we also know he's got a long way to go," White Sox reliever Nate Jones said. "We've got to continue to pray for him, his health, his family, his kids. They're all in our thoughts and prayers."
"Over the last 24 hours there's been a lot of good news," White Sox starter James Shields said. "Obviously he's not out of the water yet but I think the good news is definitely needed for him and his family. I'm happy that things are going smooth so far."
Jones mentioned the nicknames of "Google" and "Statcast™" attached to Farquhar, because "he's all over that stuff." He always has something to say but always adds to the conversation, per Jones.
"We sure do miss him," Jones said. "The bullpen gave him those nicknames like Statcast™ and Google because he had info on everything. Everything was always good-natured. We need him back, that's for sure."
"If we ever need anything, anything about pitching, he does a lot of that analytics stuff," said White Sox reliever Aaron Bummer, who was Farquhar's catch partner and whose fiancée has gotten to know Farquhar's wife pretty well. "He's a good resource for everyone. He's awesome, man. We miss him a lot and wish him well."
Farquhar's wife, Lexie, and family members are present at the hospital as he continues to receive treatment and close monitoring by the neurosurgical team. He is expected to remain in the neurosurgical ICU at RUSH for the next few weeks.
Fans interested in sending "Get Well" wishes and letters of support to Farquhar should address mail to him at Guaranteed Rate Field, 333 W. 35th Street, Chicago, IL 60616.
His family and the White Sox organization appreciate all of the messages of support for Farquhar, and the White Sox also appreciate fans and friends keeping Danny and his family in their thoughts and prayers. Tweets and messages of hope and prayer for Farquhar have come from around baseball since Friday, with the Rays, one of Farquhar's former teams, also displaying his No. 43 jersey in their dugout. The visiting Mariners did the same on Monday, representing the Major League Baseball brotherhood as mentioned by Shields, and a White Sox jersey is with the team's relievers in its bullpen.
"[Players] talk about the personality and the energy and the type of teammate he was," Seattle manager Scott Servais said. "Certainly feel bad for him. The word I got is that he's improving and I know our guys are happy that's moving in the right direction."
The White Sox will provide additional updates on Farquhar's health as appropriate. But the club also asks that everyone continue to respect the privacy of the Farquhar family at this time.
That same philosophy is being followed by the White Sox players, who must focus on baseball but won't forget about their friend for a minute as they wait to visit him in person.
"Nothing really matters as far as baseball goes right now. Just as long as we know one of our brothers is doing better," Shields said. "Definitely it was weighing on our minds. We were worried about him and his family, but having good news like that is definitely helping us out here but more importantly his family."
"He knows everybody cares for him," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "So we're going in the right direction and very guardedly optimistic about the outcome."