Quintana OK after getting hit with comebacker

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- There was a little bit of worry that crossed Jose Quintana's mind when he took a line-drive comebacker from Gerardo Parra off his lower left leg just two batters into Saturday's 6-4 loss to the D-backs at Camelback Ranch.

"Yeah, I was scared a little bit," said Quintana, who couldn't chase after the ball that bounced toward the third-base line after contact because of the pain. "But I feel good. It's not broken. It's good."

Quintana exited the game after allowing two singles and an ensuing mound visit from White Sox manager Robin Ventura and assistant athletic trainer Brian Ball. The White Sox announced Quintana had a left shin contusion and is day to day.

Although he couldn't make any guarantees, Quintana hopes to make his next start Thursday against the Angels. His plan after talking with head athletic trainer Herm Schneider is to just miss one day of baseball activities Sunday, but Ventura was a bit more cautious.

"He wanted to keep pitching. He's a tough kid. He wants to pitch. I understand it," Ventura said. "We have a long way to go. So he'll be back when he's ready but just make sure it's right when he's out there and not favoring it or anything like that. Stuff can happen when you start favoring it at all. He's a valuable piece that we are not going to play with unless he's 100 percent when he's out there."

"Tomorrow if it's good I can practice. Maybe one day only," Quintana said. "I feel a little bit of pain but it's normal. That's going to happen sometime. I couldn't see the ball. ... It's not broken or nothing."

White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper was just talking Saturday morning about wanting 215 innings from Quintana for the upcoming season, putting Quintana in the same lofty expectation category as ace Chris Sale. Quintana, who was replaced by Andre Rienzo on Saturday, finished with a 3.51 ERA over 33 starts and exactly 200 innings last season.

Ventura said that Parra's line drive got Quintana in "a pretty good spot," but as of Saturday's postgame it was just a sizeable bruise. There's no need to rush Quintana with the White Sox in Arizona until March 28, so that patience could mean a skipped start as he heals.

"We have plenty of time to get him back ready so I'm not worried," Ventura said. "I'm worried about him, more concerned about him being 100 percent, than I am about trying to rush him back in right now just for his arm stuff. He came pretty close to ready anyway."