CHICAGO -- Playoff baseball already has begun for the 2021 White Sox -- even if members of the team, for the most part, won’t directly address the postseason until they officially clinch the American League Central.

In reality, the attitude and approach already serving them so well has just been heightened.

“You try to play every game like it’s the last game you are going to play,” White Sox bench coach Miguel Cairo told MLB.com. “You want to beat anyone that is in your way. It’s like every game is a playoff game from now on. You can get your mind set on what you want to do when October starts.”

“There’s been a lot of exciting times so far,” White Sox designated hitter Gavin Sheets said. “It’s just a great team to be a part of, and it’s just been a fun year overall. Still a lot of work left to do.”

The next few weeks have a different focus for someone such as Sheets, a rookie with big left-handed power working for a spot on the White Sox playoff roster. But in preparing for ultimately what’s best for the organization in its second straight foray into the playoffs, the team might not be able to approach every game as if it’s the last game the team is going to play, as suggested by Cairo.

Oh, the intense effort will be there. That’s something expected not only by manager Tony La Russa and his coaching staff, but by every player to a man on the division-leading roster. But take Sunday’s loss at Kansas City, as an example.

The White Sox rested catcher Yasmani Grandal, who is 12-for-22 with five home runs, 15 RBIs and eight runs scored in seven games since returning from injury rehab following left knee surgery. Even those rare outs have become challenges for the opposition.

Grandal almost certainly will be in every postseason lineup for as long as the White Sox survive. The same can be said for rookie Andrew Vaughn, but at 433 plate appearances and 117 games played, not to mention working through a 4-for-37 funk over his past 10 games, the White Sox are looking to get him at-bats but have him fresh for the playoffs.

Starting pitchers Lucas Giolito (left hamstring strain) and Lance Lynn (right knee inflammation) and shortstop Tim Anderson (left hamstring strain) currently are on the 10-day injured list, with left-handed starter Carlos Rodón not pitching in Oakland this week due to left shoulder fatigue and soreness, per La Russa. The White Sox would prefer to have every key player healthy and in place at September’s outset, but with 25 games remaining and a 9 1/2-game lead over the Indians, the club can afford to be cautious.

La Russa’s attitude all season has been to focus on the day at hand. An easy way to get on his bad side, at least in a humorous way, is to ask how he’s doing or how it’s going a few hours before first pitch. He originally answered with a response of “Ask me after the game” or “If we don’t hit in the bottom of the ninth, it will be good.” Now he might drop in a “Come on, man” with a terse smile when a reporter inadvertently breaks that unofficial rule.

Those 2,807 career victories amassed over 34 seasons, six pennants and three World Series titles don’t come from accepting defeat. But La Russa and the White Sox find themselves in position right now where an occasional rough regular-season game still might work for the good of October.

People may worry about the team’s 1-5-1 road series record since the All-Star break, or its 2-5 record against the Astros, who look to be a likely first-round playoff opponent. All of those numbers disappear and reset in the playoffs.

“You don’t want to think ahead, but the way you play the game, the way your mindset is, it’s like a playoff atmosphere, playoff mentality,” Cairo said. “You still have to do the little things to win games: Catch the ball, hit the ball. Just keep playing baseball. We have so much talent, it’s unbelievable. We have a good pitching staff, good position players.

“We’ve got everything that it takes to have a good team and do well in the postseason. It just matters who gets hot, who plays the right way and who does the little things to win games. It’s what counts in the playoffs. That’s what we are trying to accomplish.”