ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Right-hander Kendall Graveman, who was missing from the White Sox bullpen for three games while the White Sox were getting swept in Toronto this week, expressed gratitude to the organization Friday for supporting his decision to not get vaccinated for COVID-19.

Back with the team along with starter Dylan Cease, who starts against the Rays Saturday, Graveman is a key piece in the back of the Sox bullpen who wasn’t available against a tough Blue Jays team that swept the Sox in three games. The Sox signed him to a three-year, $24 million contract as a free agent in the offseason.

General manager Rick Hahn said last week the Sox respected Cease and Graveman for “exercising their right to make that choice.” Graveman said the organization “has a ton of class and that’s been something that I’ve really appreciated.”

The Canadian government requires entrants to be vaccinated for COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to entry. The Sox lined up Cease with extra rest to start against the Cubs last Sunday, keeping him out of the rotation for the Blue Jays, who faced Lucas Giolito, Michael Kopech and Johnny Cueto.

“I’d like to say thank you to the organization because they’ve really been supportive of allowing me to make a decision and that was a route they didn’t have to take,” Graveman said. “But they did and I really respect our organization as a whole, from the time that they were trying to get me as a free agent to spring training to up close to the time to go to Toronto.”

The Sox returned right-handers Kyle Crick and Jimmy Lambert to Triple-A Charlotte, where Graveman went to throw a bullpen, work on his slider, and be around the Knights.

“There was no question about penalizing Graveman for making his choice,” La Russa said. “The way the three losses came out, there really wasn’t a lead late. Wish there would have. He’s ready to go in there [Friday].”

Graveman and Cease did not get paid or accrue service time.

“Moving forward I hopefully help us win this series and I love each and every one of these guys in this clubhouse, our coaching staff,” Graveman said. “Tough series for us [in Toronto], but moving forward we have three more left to go before we go home.”

This and that

Lance Lynn (knee) made his second start on his rehabilitation assignment for Charlotte Friday. He is expected to make one more in another five days.

*Eloy Jimenez (hamstring) played in the fourth game of his assignment with Charlotte.

“He’s very impatient,” La Russa said. “Just has to make sure he understands ‘get back, stay back.’ We’re as impatient as he is, believe me, but we’re not the ones going through this so we have to be patient. Stick him in the middle of the lineup things will be different. Then the lineup changes.”

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Cubs manager David Ross was coy when asked prior to Friday’s game against the Cardinals if pitching prospect Caleb Kilian would be called up to pitch in Saturday’s doubleheader at Wrigley Field.

“I do [know who it will be]. I just don’t want to tell you guys yet,” Ross said. “I’ll tell you after the game.”

Ross was well aware of the anticipation of a hot prospect coming to the major leagues in the middle of a rebuild. And that anticipation only grew when veteran right-hander Marcus Stroman was strafed for nine runs on 10 hits in a 14-5 loss to the Cardinals on Friday before 32,482 at Wrigley Field.

As expected, Kilian indeed was called up and will make his major-league debut against the Cardinals in the second game of the doubleheader. It’s not quite a turning point in the rebuild, but a significant step. The right-hander, who turned 25 on Thursday, is the first of the top-rated prospects the Cubs acquired in last year’s sell-off of 2016 World Series stalwarts Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javy Baez and veterans Yu Darvish and Joc Pederson to reach the big leagues.

“I got to interact with him a little bit [in spring training]. Seems like a hard worker,” Ross said after the game when asked for a scouting report on the 6-4, 180-pound Kilian. “Good makeup. Real chance to be everyday-big-league-starter type of stuff and continue to get better every day. I know he wants to grow, wants to learn. Pretty good energy about him. Got a nice fastball and he’s been pitching really well.”

Kilian, acquired from the Giants for Bryant, has been in the spotlight since he pitched six perfect innings in the Arizona Fall League championship game last Nov. 21. He has been stellar at Class AAA Iowa this season — 2-0 with a 2.06 ERA, with 41 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings. Iowa was 8-1 in his nine starts — and Kilian left with a 5-1 lead in the only loss.

Cubs catcher P.J. Higgins played with Kilian at Iowa, but has caught him only in spring training. But he’s seen enough to be excited about Kilian’s promotion.

“Kil’s got the full package of pitches,” Higgins said. “He’s got a live fastball. He’s got a good two-seam curveball, cutter and change-up. He’s got a good mix of both sides of the plate.”

At 22-30 after their three-game winning streak was snapped Friday, the Cubs still appear to be in the early stages of their rebuild. And following the template that produced Rizzo, Bryant, Baez, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks, et al. as the Cubs went from 96 losses in 2013 to the World Series in 2016 seems like a daunting challenge at this point.

But with Kilian, the Cubs are at least giving themselves a chance to build the foundation with pitchers from the farm system, with Keegan Thompson (6-0, 1.99) and to a lesser degree, Justin Steele (1-5, 5.40).

Even Ross doesn’t know if Kilian is ready for this.

“I don’t think we know that until we get him [here],” he said.

But it appears that Kilian will determine his fate, as outfielder Christopher Morel is doing after coming up from Class AA Tennessee as a fill-in player.

“I think you take it for what it’s worth,” Ross said. “Morel came up and got a chance to play a little bit. Good things happen to guys who take advantage of opportunities. I think that’s just wait-and-see.”

Fairly or unfairly, Kilian arrives amid some anticipation and excitement.

“For sure,” Higgins said. “It’s awesome for the organization. Everybody wants to see him. I want to see him, too, because I was able to watch him — not necessarily back there [catching him] as much as I was in spring training. But it’s going to be a big day for him. I’m happy for him. I expect him to do pretty well.”

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Teachers at the Old Town School of Folk Music have a tentative contract agreement with the school’s board of directors after more than two years of negotiations.

The deal, reached Thursday night, will cover the more than 200 teaching artists at the school represented by the Old Town Teachers Organization.

Few details were released, pending ratification, but the new contract does include a 4% pay raise. Teachers also had wanted four seats on the board of directors, but it was not known Friday if that is part of the contract.

Dozens of people working in the Chicago music industry had backed the teachers in their fight, including Jeff Tweedy of the band Wilco, who was among 70 people who signing a letter of support released in March 2021.

“The road has been long and, at times, incredibly challenging for many of us,” said Jessica Martino, co-president of the Old Town Teachers Organization.

The teachers “have been nothing if not wholeheartedly committed to shared governance and bringing home a fair contract,” Martino added. “We organized so that we could have a seat at the table. We organized to ensure that we’re fairly compensated, with access to benefits eligibility and job security. We organized because we care about each other, our students, and the Old Town School of Folk Music.”

The Old Town Teachers Organization, formed in 2019, is affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Teachers.

The bargaining team is set to meet next Monday to go over the terms of the contract. No date has been set on a ratification vote. The tentative deal is for five years.

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Outfielder Brennen Davis, rated the top prospect in the Cubs’ farm system, is out for the 2022 season after undergoing back surgery Thursday, a source confirmed.

Davis, 22, a second-round pick in the 2018 draft, had not played at Class AAA Iowa since May 3 because of back soreness and was put on the injured list on May 12. He had the procedure on a vascular malformation, but without structural damage, a source said. The Cubs are optimistic Davis will not suffer any long-term effects of the injury.

After a standout 2021 season in which he jumped from Class A South Bend to Class AAA Iowa and was the MVP of the All-Star Futures Game, Davis was hitting .195 (15-for-77) and a .584 OPS at Iowa, with two home runs and seven RBIs and 31 strikeouts in 22 games when he was sidelined by the back injury.

Contributing: Maddie Lee

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The White Sox recalled right-handed pitcher Davis Martin from Triple-A Charlotte and announced he will start Friday night’s game against the Rays.

The team also reinstated right-handed pitchers Dylan Cease and Kendall Graveman from the restricted list. The two did not travel with the team to Toronto for this week’s series against the Blue Jays. The Canadian government requires entrants to be vaccinated for COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to entry.

Martin pitched five innings of one-run ball and struck out seven, allowing five hits and one walk in a 2-1 loss to the Royals in his major-league debut on May 17. He is 5-2 with a 3.80 ERA over 45 innings in nine minor-league starts this season.

The Sox also placed RHP Vince Velasquez on the 15-day injured list retroactive to May 31 with left groin strain and returned RHPs Kyle Crick and Jimmy Lambert to Charlotte.

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