Chicago Sports

It’s hard to imagine the White Sox absorbing a bigger blow than losing Tim Anderson, which they did when the All-Star shortstop went down with a groin strain last Sunday.

It’s also hard to imagine the Sox getting a better contribution from Danny Mendick as Anderson’s fill-in.

When Anderson went down with a groin strain during a game against the Cubs last Sunday, Mendick took over at shortstop and started a 9-for-21 streak with three RBI and five runs scored. In the Sox’ 6-5 win over the Rays Sunday, one of their bigger wins of the season, Mendick was in Anderson’s leadoff spot and in Anderson fashion, singled to start a four-run inning against lefty Ryan Yarbrough.

“You can never replace a TA but you try to step up,” Mendick said. “I’ve been patiently waiting for an opportunity, one has presented itself and I go out there and do what I can. I know what I can bring and I know I can help this team win.”

A 22nd-round draft pick in 2015, Mendick, 28, is batting .318/.362/.455 with an .816 OPS, which ranks third on the Sox, albeit in 17 games and 48 plate appearances. Only Anderson and Jose Abreu are above Mendick in OPS.

Need more numbers to prove Mendick’s value thus far? His 140 weighted runs created plus ranks third on the team behind Anderson (163) and Abreu (143), and he’s a 1.1 wins above replacement player per Baseball Reference, which ranks above infielders Yoan Moncada, Leury Garcia and Josh Harrison.

“I’ve known it’s just a matter of proving it in the big leagues,” Mendick said. “An opportunity like this is all you can ask for.”

Defensively, Mendick doesn’t have Anderson’s range but he has played shortstop, second base, third base and left field this season without making an error. His inning-ending play on Isaac Paredes’ soft ground ball with the bases loaded in a 3-2 win over the Rays Saturday earned “a gold star” from manager Tony La Russa.

“I knew [Kendall Graveman] was going to throw a slider and I had a feeling he was going to be a little bit out in front,” Mendick said. “As soon as I saw his swing I started moving in and it was a close play, but you practice those, right? It was nice to get it done.”

The blip on Mendick’s week was tagging up and getting thrown out at second base on what should have been a tying sacrifice fly for Yasmani Grandal in a 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays. Mendick was out before Reese McGuire crossed home, and the Sox lost by one run.

“I play aggressive,” Mendick said. “It was a mistake, it was a tough one, and you learn from it. You have to go from there. Situation comes up again like that, hopefully in the playoffs, and you make the right decision.”

After the game, he apologized to La Russa.

“Sometimes you feel like you messed something up,” Mendick said. “You take accountability for it.”

Mendick can play the infield and outfield and is the Sox’ emergency catcher. He also pitched a scoreless inning at Fenway Park last season. He owns a career .249/.306/.356 hitting line with a .662 OPS in four seasons, a career log consisting of 137 games and 388 plate appearances.

“I want to play this game for as long as I can,” he said. “This is a good start, show what I can do and whatever my role turns into I’ll give it my very best.

La Russa has started Mendick in every game but one (Leury Garcia got the other) since Anderson’s injury. When Anderson returns, La Russa might consider playing Mendick at second base — Josh Harrison (.181/.265/.276) and Garcia (.189/.199/.265) have played 22 and 27 games, respectively, at second with minimal production.

“Danny’s playing real well and that’s supposed to be the critera, right?” La Russa said. “The more you play the better you play.”

DODGERS AT SOX

Tuesday: Mitch White (1-1, 4.79 ERA) vs. Michael Kopech (1-2, 2.20), 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH, TBS, 1000-AM

Wednesday: Tony Gonsolin (6-0, 1.59) vs. Johnny Cueto (0-2, 2.92), 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

Thursday: Tyler Anderson (7-0, 2.59) vs. Dylan Cease (4-2, 3.69), 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

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Arlo White, the former voice of NBC’s Premier League coverage and currently a member of the Fire broadcast team, has joined the controversial new LIV Golf tour as its lead announcer.

A Fire spokesman told the Sun-Times that White is under contract with the club and will remain on their broadcasts. Along with doing a handful of games on WGN-TV when his schedule permits, White also hosts a team-affiliated podcast with regular play-by-play announcer Tyler Terens.

With Greg Norman as its CEO, LIV Golf is bankrolled by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. LIV has been labeled as an example of sportswashing, a term that means repressive governments are using sports to sanitize their image.

PIF recently took over Premier League club Newcastle United.

The Saudi government has been accused of numerous human rights offenses, including sanctioning the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

This story will be updated.

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Last week’s announcement that 6-9 Owen Freeman would be transferring from Bradley-Bourbonnais to Moline has turned a very good team into a legit 2022-23 state title contender in Class 4A.

Following a regional championship season, Moline was expected to be one of the better teams in Illinois next year with the return of standout point guard Brock Harding. But the addition of Freeman, who has committed to Iowa, gives the Maroons a shot at a state trophy for the first time in over 70 years.

Moline last won a sectional championship in 2004.

The Harding-Freeman tandem will be a fun and dynamic one to watch. Both are among the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top six senior prospects in the state.

Harding is an elite point guard and coveted mid-major prospect who makes those around him better. Freeman is an athletic, rim-running big man who continues to develop offensively, both facing up from the perimeter and around the basket.

Senior Grant Welch is a productive 6-3 wing and small college prospect, while Trey Taylor should take a big step forward as a sophomore.

Glenbard West’s Bobby Durkin heads to prep school

It’s been a recruiting whirlwind for Glenbard West’s Bobby Durkin, one of the breakout seniors this past year while helping Glenbard West to a state championship.

Initially, Durkin was barely a blip on the Division I radar. He played last summer with Glenbard West following his transfer from Hinsdale South and then competed with Breakaway on the club circuit. With very little overall interest, Durkin committed to Army in September.

After more thought and some reservations, Durkin opened things back up again in December. He bet on himself and a senior season that he believed would attract more suitors, even if it extended into the spring club basketball circuit.

While the offers and interest picked up immensely, Durkin simply didn’t find the ideal fit he was looking for. He will now play during the July live period and head off to do a year of prep school and become a 2023 recruit.

Durkin has grown physically and as a player. He put the work in. In addition to sprouting to a legit 6-6 by the time his senior year began, he also tightened up and toned his body while improving his conditioning over the past year. He personally made that a point of emphasis.

“I knew last year that was a weakness in my game,” Durkin said of his physical limitations at the time. “I spent a lot of time and put work in with a speed and agility trainer, with lifting and really just reshaping my body. That became a focus of mine, probably right after the AAU season last year.”

While Durkin is a high-level shooter, he’s also a crafty player with a high basketball I.Q. The skill level is also present with his ability to handle the ball and pass. It’s what finally attracted Division I coaches.

“He is so versatile and skilled and can play so many different spots on the floor,” Opoka pointed out. “He can play on the wing, facilitate an offense and play the stretch 4. He’s a gym rat with a high I.Q. and intelligence.”

June live period update

The NCAA’s live evaluation periods on the recruiting calendar this summer will once again include a pair of weekends in June for coaches to watch prospects with their high school teams.

Locally, Riverside-Brookfield and Ridgewood will play host to three-day shootouts on back-to-back weekends. They will feature a combined 168 teams.

The 72-team R-B Shootout, which has become a summer staple in Illinois for top teams and players, will be June 17-19. Ridgewood will have 96 different high school teams in its June 24-26 shootout.

The other two sites will be Normal West (June 17-19) and Edwardsville (June 24-26).

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Caleb Kilian’s return ticket to Triple-A Iowa included some of the improvements he needs to make in the wake of his outing Saturday.

Manager David Ross allowed Kilian, who gave up three runs in five innings in a 7-4 loss to the rival Cardinals in his ballyhooed major-league debut, to assess his start and identify ways he could get better.

“There are some things I agreed with,”Ross said Sunday, adding that Cubs president Jed Hoyer and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy were involved in the conversation. “[Kilian] has an awareness about where he wants to continue to grow and get better, a lot of baseball conversation. He was great. He understands he’s going to be a major-league pitcher for a long time and help us win.”

With two days off this week, there was no need for a fifth starter.

Kilian retired the first nine batters before the Cardinals broke through on a wild pitch and a two-run double by Brendan Donovan in the fourth inning, so the quick assumption would be that Kilian would need to make a few adjustments.

But Ross declined to disclose details of the areas Kilian needs to improve on.

“He knows it,” Ross said. “Casting judgment publicly on minor things doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, either.”

Two weeks before Kilian’s debut, Hottovy said he was working on deploying his curve more as a strikeout pitch. So, for now, Kilian will look to improve on deception and his 2-0 record and 2.06 ERA at Iowa.

Mouthful of pain

Infielder Jonathan Villar is expected to return Tuesday from the 10-day injured list after suffering what he described as “one of the most frustrating injuries I’ve ever had.”

Villar had surgery to repair teeth and gum damage after a stretching band connected to a tube snapped and hit him in the mouth.

“I was just training before the game, and it really happened,” said Villar, who showed no signs of swelling.

The injury didn’t prevent Villar from staying in baseball shape, and Ross concurred that he likely will be activated in Baltimore.

Seiya in Baltimore

Right fielder Seiya Suzuki, who also is eligible to return for the Baltimore series, will go through an array of baseball activities before the game Tuesday.

“It hasn’t been that long,” Ross said of Suzuki, who hasn’t played since May 26 because of a sprained left ring finger.

Ross credited the Cubs’ indoor pitching machines for helping to maintain Suzuki’s timing, pointing to Nico Hoerner’s 8-for-18 start since returning from the IL as proof.

Tips from Smiling Jon

Left-hander Justin Steele heeded the advice of former Cubs standout Jon Lester, who sent a text to Ross emphasizing that Steele should try to establish his four-seam fastball in the low and inside quadrant of the strike zone to right-handed hitters.

“It would open up everything else,” Steele said after allowing two runs in seven innings.

Ross said Lester stressed, in another text, that he “didn’t want to be pitching coach.”

Albert update

Cardinals star Albert Pujols moved into a tie with Cal Ripken Jr. for eighth place after playing in his 3,001st game. Pujols hit a single in the fourth inning to move into a tie with Paul Molitor for ninth place with 3,319 hits.

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With slightly less than two-thirds of the season left, manager David Ross has detected some tendencies among his players.

“We know our strengths and weaknesses, and we got to play clean games,” Ross said.

Lately, the Cubs held their ground against the White Sox, Brewers and Cardinals. The reason?

“A new spark in [Christopher] Morel as of late that has helped us play better baseball,” Ross said. “He gives us a good hitter at the top of the lineup.”

Morel hit a single Sunday night against 40-year-old Cardinals craftsman Adam Wainwright in the third inning to extend his franchise record of reaching safely in his first 20 major-league games — the longest of any major-leaguer, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Nevertheless, there’s still room for improvement. Two runners were thrown out on the basepaths. Third baseman Patrick Wisdom threw a one-bouncer that somehow skipped past first baseman Frank Schwindel and set up a two-run, game-tying single by Nolan Arenado.

And Rowan Wick blew his first save in five chances, allowing a leadoff triple to Harrison Bader and a game-tying single to Lars Nootbaar in the ninth inning.

The final blow occurred in the 11th, when Juan Yepez and Brendan Donovan had run-scoring hits to give the Cardinals a 5-3 victory.

The Cubs wasted a sterling performance from left-hander Justin Steele, who matched his career high with seven innings.

Embattled Jason Heyward hit a two-out RBI single in the fourth inning, and Wisdom and pinch hitter P.J. Higgins hit consecutive doubles off Genesis Cabrera in the eighth to give the Cubs a short-lived 3-2 lead.

There will be some lessons learned, such as Morel lunging at a 72 mph Wainwright curve and popping out to second in his fourth at-bat. But Morel is adapting well in other areas, such as center field.

Morel, 22, who played third base throughout most of his time in the minors, turned twice on a deep fly by Yadier Molina in the second inning but ran to the right spot to make the catch in plenty of time.

That confidence has carried from the batter’s box, where his plate discipline has resulted in a .380 on-base percentage.

“I just trust my ability, trust what I can do,” said Morel, who credited his faith frequently. “And I try to never lessen the confidence I have in myself when I’m in the batter’s box.”

Nor will Morel overlook the assistance he has received during his initial ascent.

“Just that feeling of being like a family, having the opportunity to go out there every day and play for those fans,” Morel said. “I’m grateful to have the opportunity. I’m thankful to God for giving me that opportunity. And I’m taking advantage of it as best I can.”

Morel isn’t shy about mingling with opponents, even the rival Cardinals. He reacquainted himself with slugger Albert Pujols, whom he played against in the Dominican Winter League.

And he relished his exchange with Arenado this weekend.

“That was probably the most surprising one I’ve had,” said Morel, who was told, “just keep working hard, giving my all.”

“That was something that was important to me and meant a lot,” he said.

Behind the scenes, Morel credited teammate Willson Contreras and venerable staff assistant Juan Cabrera.

Morel stressed that Contreras does more for him than what’s shown on cameras: “He’s always there for me.”

Cabrera stresses to “follow the plan.”

So far, it’s working well.

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One thing that the 2022 Chicago Cubs have no shortage of is infielders on their roster. But will that be the case next season?

The team is expected to be active at the trade deadline and there’s no telling how the roster will look at the end of the season. Furthermore, predicting a potential roster for 2023 is nearly impossible due to the extensive list of potential trade options and some expiring contracts.

The Cubs reportedly may be interested in spending big money to bolster their infield for next season. This offseason, there will be several big-name shortstops hitting free agency. 

Bob Nightengale with USA Today reported the following about the Cubs:

“They have their eyes on shortstop Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, and Xander Bogaerts. I guarantee you they’re going to get one of them,’’ one veteran GM told USA TODAY Sports.

This may come as a surprise to many Cubs fans.

The Cubs have been disappointing this season, but the shortstop position has not been a weakness in their lineup. Nico Hoerner has been incredibly impressive this season as the everyday shortstop. Hoerner is slashing .290/.321/.405 through 39 games. He has also shown much-improved defense and arm strength.

The Cubs are likely to move several pieces at this season’s trade deadline, although Hoerner being one of them is unlikely. If the Cubs were to add one of these big-name shortstops, Nico Hoerner would likely split time between second base, some shortstop, and some DH. This season, the Cubs are getting creative with several infield configurations.

This report can lead fans to believe that this will continue next season.

The Cubs’ performance at this point in the season already has many looking toward potential offseason moves. With plenty of money to spend, it will be interesting to see how this offseason unfolds for the Chicago Cubs. 

Make sure to check out our Cubs forum for the latest on the team.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When he batted .250/.324/.506 with 11 homers in 54 games as a rookie last season, Gavin Sheets made an impression, enough of one for White Sox management to trust him as a needed left-handed power hitting piece in their 2022 lineup.

Sheets was supposed to blend in with the Sox lineup core of Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert, Jose Abreu, Yasmani Grandal and Eloy Jimenez, but the struggles or absence of four of them has cast a brighter glare on the .206./273/.328. hitting line Sheets took into the Sox’ game against the Rays Saturday.

“I need to put some consistent at-bats together,” Sheets told the Sun-Times.

Sheets made adjustments working in the hitting cage recently, studied video from last season and has detected differences in his setup and moves he was making. The big thing, he said, is how pitchers, armed with expanded scouting reports on him, adjusted.

“It’s tough, they’re pitching me a little differently, I have to adjust to that,” he said. “It’s a game of adjustments.”

The Sox were questioned for not going outside the organization for an impact left-handed bat in the offseason, and as the team slogs around the bottom of numerous offensive categories, the questions still stand. Sheets’ showing in 2021, the depth of the Sox lineup around him and the desire to progress his development were reasons why they didn’t.

Sheets’ .608 OPS is .220 points lower than last season.

“I proved I can do damage on the fastball last year,” he said. “Not getting as many fastballs, so it’s about picking out offspeed pitches you can do damage with. Just trying to be aggressive in the zone. I can get stuck sometimes when I get too passive.”

A first baseman by trade, Sheets has played in 16 games in right field, three in left field and nine at first base. He has DH’d 13 times but was out of the lineup Sunday against a left-handed starter.

Trainer’s room

Right-hander Lance Lynn is slated for his third start for Charlotte on a rehab assignment (knee) Wednesday.

“Depends on how he feels, but there’s a chance,” manager Tony La Russa said.

At Detroit June 13 would be earliest possibility for Lynn’s first start.

*Eloy Jimenez played his first rehab game in left field at Charlotte after DHing his first four. Jimenez came out of his first game with soreness in his right hamstring area and his return doesn’t appear imminent.

“They don’t feel his legs are ready yet,” La Russa said.

Jimenez and La Russa have exchanged multiple texts. “Full of life, lots of advice,” La Russa said.

*Tim Anderson (groin) is getting daily treatment while traveling with the team and gradually increasing his work. He did some running Saturday and Sunday.

Dodgers next

The Sox are off Monday. Michael Kopech (Tuesday), Johnny Cueto (Wednesday) and Dylan Cease (Thursday) are the probable starters for the Dodgers series at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mitch White, Tony Gonsolin and left-hander Tyler Anderson are scheduled for the Dodgers.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tony La Russa recounted Sunday how being in baseball but out of uniform before White Sox Jerry Reinsdorf brought him back into one drove him crazy.

“I don’t know how general managers do it,” La Russa said Sunday.

In his second season of his second go-around managing the Sox, La Russa found himself at the helm of a preseason World Series contender that was in third place in its division during the first week of June.

“We’ll see if I still know how to do it or not,” La Russa said.

The Sox have been slammed by injuries, but they have not played good baseball with the healthy players they have. When that happens, the manager will be scrutinized, Hall of Fame resume or not.

La Russa was asked if he self evaluates.

“Sure. That’s part of the bottom line, isn’t it?” he said. “That’s what you show the people you work for and the fans. And that’s why I mentioned there has never been a day where I dodge accountability. Never. What the record is, we pitch, we hit, whatever decisions. You take the heat and if that bothers you, you do something else for a living.

“But I know if you’re going to accept accountability then you hold yourself accountable and them [players] accountable. And then you get the best by what you got. That hasn’t changed.”

La Russa has maintained the Sox are good enough to win with what they have. But there’s no getting around the reality of dealing with season-long injury issues that, at present, include Tim Anderson, Eloy Jimenez, Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly on the IL.

“I’ve always felt and I’ve seen this, sometimes ownership, front office [is] not realistic with expectations for the guys downstairs, right?” La Russa said. “But you have to be realistic. Pressure’s got to be fair. If you’re missing some key pieces then you have to expect it to be a struggle. If you don’t give in to it, come out of it, you have to survive and all of a sudden then you still have a shot, right?

“It’s not fun but it’s the challenge of all this. Keep pushing. Because you always have a shot.”

The Sox are in the midst of a nine-game stretch against the Blue Jays, Rays and Dodgers, all likely playoff teams. They got swept by the Jays and split the first two games against the Rays on the first five games of a road trip. They gave Lucas Giolito a six-run lead in the second inning, raising hopes for a series victory before heading home to play the Dodgers starting Tuesday.

It’s apparent watching La Russa every day that he still hates to lose and loves to win at age 77.

“It’s exciting to have that shot to compete,” he said. “If that excitement’s not there then I would never cheat anybody. I’m as nervous [as ever].”

La Russa mentioned Jake Burger’s go ahead pinch homer Saturday that helped the Sox snap a four-game losing streak on a tough trip. It was exhilarating.

“It’s exactly how I felt for years,” he said. “I don’t look down at the [World Series] ring and say ‘what’s the big deal?’ No, that’s when I know I’m excited to be there.”

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The hype train has been rolling down the tracks as Cubs fans — and even those inside the organization — eagerly awaited the arrival of pitching prospect Caleb Kilian.

Manager David Ross faced daily questions about when the key return in last summer’s Kris Bryant trade with the Giants would make his major-league debut.

The desire to see a payoff for the fire sale of the World Series core was palpable.

Kilian’s eagerness to get to the big leagues matched the anticipation around the team and fan base.

“It was the best day of my life,” Kilian said Saturday night after the second game of a split doubleheader, a 7-4 Cardinals win in 10 innings.

“Coolest ballpark ever. What a place to debut.”

Kilian learned Thursday, the day he turned 25, that he would be called up from Triple-A Iowa to make his debut.

The Cubs’ No. 5 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, started with a flourish and ended with a no-decision.

After striking out the first two big-league hitters he faced — Tommy Edman and Nolan Gorman — Kilian induced a broken-bat groundout by Paul Goldschmidt, who came into the first game of the doubleheader with a 25-game hitting streak.

Kilian retired the first nine Cardinals he faced, relying on a fastball that topped out at 97 mph, before running into trouble in the fourth inning.

Two walks and a single loaded the bases before Kilian wild-pitched a run home. Brendan Donovan then smacked a two-run double into the gap in left-center for a 3-1 St. Louis lead.

But Kilian regrouped and got out of that inning without further damage. After a scoreless fifth, he was done with a line of five innings, three hits, three runs (all earned), two walks and six strikeouts.

“He threw the ball pretty good,” Ross said. “I thought he mixed his pitches well, came out firing BBs.”

Because Kilian has been a starter throughout his pro career, Ross didn’t hesitate to send him back out for the fifth inning.

“Just giving him a reset,” Ross said. “The wheels didn’t fall off [in the fourth].”

Matt Swarmer, a less-heralded pitching prospect who nonetheless has impressed in his first two big-league starts, is one of many in the organization who expects good things from Kilian.

“It was cool to see him here,” Swarmer said. “He has really good stuff. . . . He’ll be a lot of fun to watch.”

That’s also Ross’ hope and belief. But he was still advising caution.

“He’s been impressive in a lot of ways,” Ross said before the opener of the twin bill. “But you’ve still got to make your major-league [debut]. . . . No one knows how it’s gonna go. But I’m happy for him. All the hard work has paid off.”

That said, Ross tried to tap the brakes on the expectations for Kilian, who was 2-0 with a 2.06 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 39,, innings at Iowa.

“I try not to hype it up much,” Ross said. “I don’t think any one player is ever, like, the savior, right? We put all these labels on a young man. He’s gonna come up, he’s gonna make a start and we’ll see how it goes. And we’ll analyze it afterward.”

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CHICAGO — The Cubs have called up their top pitching prospect, righty Caleb Kilian, to start Game 2 of their doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday evening.

Kilian, 25, will make his major league debut after being acquired from the San Francisco Giants last July in exchange for former MVP Kris Bryant.

Kilian is 2-0 with a 2.06 ERA in nine starts for Triple-A Iowa this season. He had 41 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings before being called up.

The Cubs are in the midst of a busy schedule, having two doubleheaders this week with veterans Wade Miley and Drew Smyly both on the injured list.

Kilian was acquired with outfielder Alexander Canario last July 31 for Bryant as part of the Cubs’ roster tear down. He has a career 2.08 ERA in three minor league seasons after being drafted in the eighth round by the Giants in 2019.

To make room on the 40 man roster, the Cubs DFA’d pitcher Conner Menez. They also recalled righty Anderson Espinoza to serve as the team’s 27th man for the doubleheader. Killian will be the team’s eighth player to make his major league debut this season.

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