Chicago White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito is headed to 10-day IL with an abdominal injury, manager Tony La Russa said Saturday.

Giolito is expected to miss his next two starts, according to La Russa, after leaving his season-opening start on Friday because of abdominal tightness on his left side.

Giolito struck out six while pitching four innings of one-hit ball in Detroit.

“I’m concerned because he felt something,” La Russa said after the game.

Giolito departed with a 3-0 lead, but the Tigers rallied for a wild 5-4 win.

The White Sox have been hit hard by injuries. Third baseman Yoan Moncada (strained right oblique) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Thursday along with pitchers Ryan Burr (strained right shoulder strain), Joe Kelly (right biceps nerve injury), Lance Lynn (right knee surgery) and Garrett Crochet (left elbow surgery) and outfielder Yermin Mercedes (fractured left wrist).

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DETROIT — A pitching staff already chock full of question marks and stung by the loss of three arms to injury just before the season began will be under even more duress of the worst kind — the loss of its Opening Day starter for at least two starts.

Lucas Giolito appears headed to the 10-day injured list after leaving his Friday start against the Tigers with soreness in his abdomen.

“We’re definitely going to have to replace him with someone,” manager Tony La Russa said Saturday morning. “We just can’t wait.

“Optimistically, maybe [he will miss] a couple of starts. We’re going to miss him.”

All-Star righty Lance Lynn had knee surgery Tuesday and is out for eight weeks. Lefty reliever Garrett Crochet had Tommy John surgery and is out for the season. Righty reliever Ryan Burr landed on the IL this week with a sore shoulder.

And now Giolito, who pitched four scoreless innings Friday, leaving with a 3-0 lead in a game that was lost by the bullpen, will miss two turns in the rotation. Or more.

“That’s optimistic,” La Russa said. “That’s what I was told. I’ll embrace that.”

Dylan Cease starts Saturday, equipped to pitch no more than five innings due to the shortened ramp up of a three and a half week spring training camp. Cease will be followed by Michael Kopech Sunday, stretched out for no more than four innings, probably. La Russa named Vince Velasquez, signed to a one-year, $3 million free-agent deal the first week of spring training, to start the home opener Tuesday against the Mariners. And Dallas Keuchel takes the ball Wednesday.

After that, it’s a “who knows” situation to fill Giolito’s next turn.

“Unfortunate because I really wanted to kick off this year, opening day, kind of set the tone,” Giolito said. “I feel that we were doing that. But it’s just another challenge for us to get through. But I’m very optimistic that this won’t affect my season too much and I’ll be able to get the ball and help the team win games again soon.”

“I felt like a little tweak in my lower left abdomen,” Giolito said. “And we get random little aches and pains while we’re throwing that you kind of just disregard. So I immediately disregarded it. The next pitch, same. Next pitch, same. Just didn’t want to go away, so I had to go and say something.”

On Saturday, Giolito said he felt “pretty good.”

“Not really noticing too much soreness or anything like that,” he said. “It’s a good sign for hopefully a quick recovery.

“From my understanding it’s kind of like a random, freak, weird thing. Doesn’t happen to baseball players very often. Working with the training staff, medical staff, we’ll have a very nice plan of action. Going through the first stage of treatment today. And for me, the biggest thing is getting it right and getting back out there as soon as possible.”

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No Colts player logged more more special teams snaps last year than Matt Adams, who appeared in 351 plays. Now he’s joining the Bears.

The team signed Adams, a linebacker by trade, to a one-year deal Saturday. A seventh-round pick out of Houston in 2018, Adams spent his first four seasons playing for the Colts, where new Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was the defensive coordinator. He joins defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, coordinator Alan Williams and three position coaches as former Colts employees to follow Eberflus to Chicago.

The 6 foot, 229-pounder has started nine games at linebacker, but none in the last two years. His role in Indianapolis has been almost strictly as a special teamer during that time –he’s played only one defensive snap, total, over the past two years. He finished last season with 10 tackles, all on special teams.

Adams, who turned 26 in December, figures to focus on special teams with the Bears, too.

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Under sporting director Georg Heitz and technical director Sebastian Pelzer, the Fire have invested heavily in youth.

Now, their prospects have somewhere to play that’s run by the Fire.

Formally announced last year, MLS NEXT Pro began play earlier this spring and is a 21-team league including 20 development sides affiliated with MLS clubs. Coached by Ludovic Taillandier with franchise legend Patrick Nyarko on the staff as an assistant, Chicago Fire II plays their home matches at SeatGeek Stadium.

“The kids are responding well. They are excited, of course,” Taillandier told the Sun-Times. “We’re starting a professional league; it’s like a dream come true for all of the young players.”

In the past, the Fire loaned players out to lower-division teams for extra game time or injury rehab, which some perceived as a disadvantage against clubs that owned and operated their reserve sides that competed in the minor-league USL.

That isn’t necessary now, so Homegrown prospects — such as goalie Chris Brady and midfielder Sergio Oregel Jr. or first-round pick Kendall Burks — can play in a competitive environment under Fire eyes and in roughly the same 4-2-3-1 formation used by coach Ezra Hendrickson.

“The benefit is the communication on the curriculum of the academy, on the style of play,” Taillandier said. “We are able to [have] coffee with the first-team staff every morning. We are very, very connected on a daily basis. That’s a great advantage.”

Fire II also could be advantageous for a player such as defender Carlos Teran, who missed the first month of the season with an injury but played 39 minutes Sunday for Fire II in their 1-0 loss to Columbus. Fellow first-teamers Jhon Espinoza and Chinonso Offor haven’t played big roles for the MLS team this year but have gotten minutes for Fire II. Espinoza parlayed his 90-minute run in the Fire II opener — a 2-0 loss at Orlando on March 26 — into a 29-minute appearance last Saturday against FC Dallas.

And as Taillandier mentioned, key members of the Fire staff don’t need reminders about the value of a strong second team. Hendrickson and assistant Junior Gonzalez ran a second team before the birth of MLS NEXT Pro.

“Fire II is a very important aspect of what we do here,” Hendrickson said. “It’s to bridge that gap for some players that we see potential but maybe they are very young, very inexperienced, and if they can get games to help them improve and develop, that’s very important.”

One of the best examples of development is Fire defender Wyatt Omsberg. Now firmly entrenched as the starting right center back, Omsberg was loaned out to lower-division sides when he was with Minnesota United.

Those experiences were critical for his growth and confidence, and he thinks Fire II could have the same impact on Fire youngsters.

“We have obviously a very young team, a lot of the Homegrowns are 18, 19, 20 years old, so it will be really important for them to take advantage of those games and continue their development,” Omsberg said. “It’s kind of a perfect spot for them where they will be able to show what they can do and help them adjust to a higher level.”

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One of the (many) things I love about the start of the baseball season is seeing the players whom I missed over the last (too) many months. There’s something about seeing the faces, seeing them run, pitch, hit and field that just reminds me how much better things are when they are playing. Sometimes, I just extol about the beauty of the 6-4-3 double play. But not today. While we await new moments to savor, let’s play our quiz.

Have fun and play ball!

1. Albert Pujols last played for the Cardinals in 2011. St. Louis is where he won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2001. Who was the winner in the AL?

a. Angel Berroa, Royals c. CC Sabathia, Cleveland

b. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners d. Alfonso Soriano, Yankees

2. Zack Greinke last played for the Royals in 2010, and he was the Opening Day starter (just like this season). I was kind of surprised to learn that it was his only Opening Day start for the Royals. In 2009, when Greinke won the Cy Young Award, Gil Meche was the Opening Day pitcher against the White Sox. Who was the starter for the Sox?

a. Mark Buehrle c. Gavin Floyd

b. John Danks d. Bartolo Colon

3. A former member of the Sox is Tom Brady’s brother-in-law, and apparently, he did not have

much advance warning that Tom was un-retiring. Who is he?

a. Carlton Fisk c. Steve Lyons

b. Kevin Youkilis d. Keith Foulke

4. From 2017 to 2021, the Red Sox paid more payroll dollars than any other team in baseball ($2,213,038). Which Chicago team paid more?

a. The Cubs b. The White Sox

C. The same (within $50,000)

5. Last season, fan favorite (and one of mine as well) Tim Anderson had 17 homers and 18 steals. Now I know that is far from a 30-30 season and not even really close to a 20-20, but it is his third 17-17 season. Since 1969, only one other member of the Sox had three 17-17 seasons. Who might he be?

a. Aaron Rowand c. Ray Durham

b. Chris Singleton d. Alex Rios

6. I love the triple. Who doesn’t love the triple? You gotta love the triple. Only one player in baseball has hit at least one triple each of the last 12 seasons. Who is this object of my appreciation?

a. Andrew McCutchen c. Elvis Andrus

b. Jason Heyward d. Brett Gardner

7. There have been 12 different White Sox pitchersand 13 different Cubs pitchers who’ve had 30+ saves in a season. Two of those 25 each had four different seasons of 30+ saves. Who are they?

a. Lee Smith c. Bobby Thigpen

b. Bobby Jenks d. Bruce Sutter

8. Raise your hand if you are a Mark Buehrle fan. OK, OK, you can put your hands down. My hand was up so you know I’m not being mean with this question about Buehrle’s 2006 season, when he finished with a 12-13 record and a 4.99 ERA in 204.0 innings pitched. Which isn’t true about that season?

a. He struck out under 100 batters

b. He made the All-Star team

c. He led the league in hits allowed

d. He led the league in home runs allowed

9. Which of the following players completed his diploma at Duke University in the summer of 2015 while rehabbing his knee from a torn ACL?

a. Marcus Stromanc. Andrew Vaughn

b. David Bote d. Michael Kopech

Now wasn’t that fun? Tell your friends and family to join us next Saturday. In the meantime, write to me and send a question for the quiz or tell me how you did — or how I did.

ANSWERS

1. In 2001, Ichiro was both the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP.

2. The 2009 season marked one of nine times Mark Buehrle started for the Sox on Opening Day, the most of any pitcher in team history.

3. Kevin Youkilis, who played 80 games for the White Sox in 2012 and 953 games for the Red Sox, is married to Julie Brady, Tom’s sister. “I got a message on a chain, and then like 15 minutes later I was at somebody’s house and I’m trying to keep it quiet — don’t tell anybody, right? Because I don’t know when the news is coming out, and it was instantaneous news,” Youkilis explained.

4. From 2017 to 2021, the Cubs paid $2,062,670 in payroll dollars per win, the fourth-most in baseball. The Sox paid $1,314,435 per win, 24th in baseball.

5. In the 1998, 2000, and 2001 seasons, Ray Durham had the coveted 17-17 seasons.

6. It is Jason Heyward, who has totaled 38 triples since 2010.

7. Lee Smith in 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987 for the Cubs and Bobby Thigpen in 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991 for the White Sox are our 30+ save closers.

8. In 2006, Buehrle struck out 98. His 9-6, 4.02 record at the break somehow was good enough to make the All-Star team. He led the league with 247 hits allowed. He gave up 36 homers, which tied him with Josh Beckett behind Carlos Silva of the Twins, who allowed 38.

9. Stroman graduated from Duke in May 2016 and considers graduating from Duke his highest achievement in life.

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Despite a couple of setbacks early in free agency, Ryan Poles is enjoying a honeymoon as the Bears’ new general manager.

After the team went seven years with only one winning season under Ryan Pace, every Poles idea seems like a good one — from hiring Matt Eberflus to trading Khalil Mack to hiring Ian Cunningham to wanting lighter, quicker offensive linemen to signing Trevor Siemian as a presumed replacement for Nick Foles. Even Poles’ measured enthusiasm for quarterback Justin Fields is seen as a prudent move, even if it douses a bit of Bears fans’ enthusiasm for the franchise quarterback they’ve been pining for.

The disappointments don’t seem like a big deal right now. Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi couldn’t pass his physical and was not signed after agreeing to a three-year, $40.5 million contract (and Poles hasn’t ruled out re-signing Ogunjobi later in free agency, pending his physical condition). Guard Ryan Bates — like newly acquired center Lucas Patrick — looked like a good early test of Poles’ acumen for offensive linemen that could make him an upgrade over Pace. But the Bills matched the Bears’ four-year, $17 million offer.

Bears fans who have been here too many times before seem more hopeful and cautiously optimistic that Poles is the real deal. His best suit so far is not being Pace, but let the record show that Pace was just as popular if not more so when he was in the same position in 2015.

Pace sang many of the same notes that Poles is singing today. His honest assessment of the roster helped him get the job. His hiring of two-time Super Bowl coach John Fox six days after he was hired was seen as a masterstroke — almost universally lauded locally and nationally. When Fox hired Vic Fangio as his defensive coordinator, Pace looked even more like a genius.

That was just the start. Pace traded problematic wide receiver Brandon Marshall, and everyone cheered. His restraint in the first wave of free agency (linebacker Pernell McPhee, wide receiver Eddie Royal and safety Antrel Rolle) was applauded. He reached out to Bears alumni — just as Poles has promised to do. Pace and Fox pledged to re-connect with Brian Urlacher and undo the damage of Phil Emery’s awkward dismissal of the future Hall of Fame linebacker after the 2011 season. Pace paid due respect to Love Smith-era stalwarts Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman letting them go.

Pace had a misstep when he signed defensive lineman Ray McDonald, who had been cut by the 49ers after accusations of domestic violence and sexual assault. The Bears cut McDonald two months later after an arrest on suspicion of domestic violence and child endangerment in California, and it was no harm, no foul.

Heading into his first draft in 2015, Pace seemed like just what the Bears had been looking for. Even longtime media critics approved — some of them, anyhow. By and large, Pace was an early hit.”He has shown he has what it takes to become a successful general manager in the NFL,” former Bears director of college scouting Greg Gabriel wrote in the National Football Post.

That was true at the time, but sometimes things that look so good quickly turn the other way. The 37-year-old Pace and 59-year-old Fox seemed like a “perfect marriage” at the beginning. But when Pace was scouting quarterbacks for the 2017 draft he kept Fox out of the loop — so much for collaboration — and the rest is history.

And besides the eventual missteps in the draft and free agency, some of Pace’s good intentions did not materialize.

“I think it’s a good idea to add a quarterback every year [in the draft],” he said at his first owners’ meetings in Phoenix. But he drafted only one in his first six seasons — the ill-fated trade-up for Mitch Trubisky — before taking Fields last year.

Like everyone else before him, Pace knew what he was looking for — “character, toughness, instincts and intelligence” — but his own instincts too often failed him. He came in as a guy who had a hand in the Saintssigning Drew Brees in free agency, but his first quarterbacks with the Bears were Mike Glennon, Trubisky and Foles. He valued Matt Nagy’s leadership, but misjudged Nagy’s ability to develop an offense and a quarterback.

Poles knows he has a lot to prove. He wants lighter, quicker offensive linemen, but if he doesn’t have good offensive linemen, it won’t matter what shape or size they are. Poles already has made moves that could make a difference. Hiring Cunningham as his assistant general manager makes sense. He reorganized the strength-and-conditioning staff, including the hiring of Brent Salazar as the director of high performance.

But more than that, Poles has made one move that could give him a bigger edge over his failed predecessors: He has quickly put the Bears in their clearest, unobstructed rebuild mode since the firing of Lovie Smith — with retooling on both sides of the ball and a young first-round quarterback to build around.

By trading Mack, cutting nose tackle Eddie Goldman, letting guard James Daniels — and likely defensive end Akiem Hicks — go in free agency, Poles’ path for the Bears’ rebuild is in focus: using the 2022 season to see what he’s got and establish a new offense and defense, then having a lot more salary-cap space and draft capital in 2023 to set the stage for a giant leap.

(With $45 million in 2022 “dead-cap” money off the books — including Mack ($24 million), Goldman ($5 million), Andy Dalton ($5 million) and Jimmy Graham ($4.6 million) and Nick Foles out of the way ($10.66 million cap hit, $7.66 million dead-cap if he’s cut), the Bears will be flush with cap cash in 2023. And Poles will have a first-round draft pick — maybe in the top-10 –that he does not have this year.)

This is a rebuild without a lot of transition. When Emery replaced Jerry Angelo as general manager in 2012, he inherited Smith. When Marc Trestman replaced Smith in 2013, the Bears were still trying to hang on to Smith’s defense — with new coordinator Mel Tucker adjusting to them as much as they were adjusting to him.

When Pace and Fox replaced Emery and Trestman in 2015, they inherited Jay Cutler at 32, gave him his fifth offensive coordinator in seven seasons in Adam Gase and traded his favorite receiver in Marshall as part of an offensive house-cleaning. Even on defense, with Fangio a huge upgrade, there was a problematic transition, converting 4-3 defensive ends Jared Allen and Willie Young to 3-4 outside linebackers.

And when Nagy replaced Fox as coach in 2018, he had a second-year first-round quarterback in Trubisky, but also an offense on the ground floor with a defense that was ready to win. When Fangio left after that season, the defense suffered, and the offense never developed.

By Poles’ design, he and Eberflus have fewer transition impediments than those who preceded them. The offense will be built from the ground up with a 23-year-old quarterback drafted 11th overall. The defense isn’t what it was, but it’s getting younger. Without Mack (30), Hicks (32), Danny Trevathan (31) and Tashaun Gipson (31), the only projected starter over 30 is Robert Quinn (31), who not only is coming off a franchise-record 18.5-sack season, but prefers to play in a 4-3 than a 3-4.

There’s no telling what will happen. Two years from now, the Bears could be trying to get bigger and stronger on their offensive line — and Poles could even be looking for a new franchise quarterback if Fields doesn’t pan out or a new offensive coordinator if he does.

Poles still has to draft well. Eberflus still has to manage well — and be good on Sundays. There’s a long way to go. But more than any previous regime since the demise of the Smith era — 11 seasons and zero playoff wins ago — Poles and Eberflus have a clear path to success. The rest is up to them.

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