Cease shut down; Renteria is back
DETROIT -- Dylan Cease, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 5 prospect in the White Sox organization, is being shut down because he's reached his innings limit for the season, the team announced Friday.
Cease pitched 124 innings in 23 starts between Class A Advanced Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham. He had a 1.72 ERA with Birmingham and struck out 78 hitters over 52 1/3 innings. In his last start Wednesday, Cease threw five shutout innings against Double-A Jacksonville, an affiliate of the Marlins.
The 22-year-old righty was selected in the sixth round of the 2014 Draft by the Cubs. He was traded to the White Sox in July 2017, where he finished the year with Class A Kannapolis.
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Renteria returns
Manager Rick Renteria made it to Detroit just in time Friday night for the White Sox game against the Tigers, a come-from-behind 6-3 win. Renteria had been in Chicago, where he was being tested for lightheadedness that he first experienced before Monday's game against the Twins in Minnesota. He was cleared by doctors Friday and got a flight to Detroit.
"It was quite a bit of traffic out there around the ballpark," Renteria said of when he arrived at the stadium. "I didn't realize they closed everything off. So then I got over by where the bus usually drops us off and took my suitcase out, and they escorted me into the media entrance. It actually was pretty easy. It's just nice to get back to the ballpark."
The third-year manager was originally at a Minneapolis hospital and was released Tuesday, before going to Rush University Medical Center in Chicago when the lightheadedness continued. All told, Renteria was away from the White Sox for four games.
"The first few days weren't too difficult because I was poked and prodded," Renteria said. "[Team interpreter Billy Russo] was there with me quite a bit of the time. He could tell you I was going a little stir-crazy. That's natural for all of us."
Managing in Renteria's absence was bench coach Joe McEwing, who received high praise from Renteria.
"He's done a great job," Renteria said. "I believe that he has the ability to manage in the big leagues. I think he's able to communicate with players. He knows what he's doing. He's passionate. He understands all the intricacies of everything that goes on."
Renteria said he's been cleared to go "full-tilt" and that doctors were looking at a couple of causes of his lightheadedness.
Kopech apologizes
White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech apologized Friday for a series of tweets revealed in a Chicago Sun-Times article.
"I want to apologize for being a stupid and immature teenager. I think there was a misinterpretation yesterday," Kopech said of the article, "that I was apologizing for maybe being racist or homophobic in the past. I wasn't apologizing for that. I was apologizing for what I said. I've never been racist nor homophobic."
Kopech said he was aware that old tweets of his were coming up in screenshots from other Twitter users before it caught the public's attention. He said he took the time to contact family and friends to explain that they might be seeing words from him that don't represent who he is. Kopech said he has a black girlfriend and a black nephew.
"I tried to clean it up with the people I care about the most, and the organization obviously, before anyone had to hear about it," Kopech said. "So I've talked to everyone close to me, and I hope those that aren't close to me realize who I actually am."