Vince Velasquez joins mix of White Sox starters

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The plan for right-hander Vince Velasquez, whom the Sox officially signed to a one-year, $3 million deal Monday, is to add him to the mix of potential starters.

You can never have enough pitching, general manager Rick Hahn said.

Especially in a shortened spring training following a lockout that prevented pitchers from having contact with coaches and staff.

Velasquez, 29, posted a 6.30 ERA between Philadelphia and San Diego, which doesn’t impress, but his career 4.95 ERA, strikeout stuff and having a 17-strikeout game on his resume were enough to interest the Sox.

“He has experience starting, experience relieving,” Hahn said Monday. “We are going to stretch him and [Reynaldo Lopez] out this camp. The best case scenario for any starter regardless of what his name is and which camp he’s in is to get to five innings in Cactus League games. You won’t have your traditional length to start the season. Having as many quality arms that can give us multiple innings is a good thing to have.”

Velasquez and Lopez fall in behind Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Dylan Cease, Dallas Keuchel and Michael Kopech. Giolito and Kopech, who is slightly behind the group because of an illness that halted his throwing in January, threw their first bullpens in camp Monday.

More moves to come?

Hahn said Andrew Vaughn’s and Gavin Sheets’ development needs to continue in the majors, suggesting they very well could patrol right field as opposed to a free agent or trade acquisition. The Sox also have Adam Engel to play right.

“Building something long term sustainable is reliant on having your own young players produce,” he said.

Vaughn and Sheets can also get at-bats at DH and first base.

Reliever Craig Kimbrel, mentioned as a potential trade piece in November, won’t necessarily going to be dealt, Hahn said.

“He’s very much a viable piece on a championship club,” Hahn said. “It remains to be seen exactly if that’s going to be here but we are preparing as if it will be.”

Conditioning not for Lynn

No Sox pitcher is farther along on his throwing progression than All-Star righty Lynn, who says he’s good to go after pitching through a sore knee last season. Lynn faced hitters during the lockout to ensure he would be ready Opening Day despite the late start.

“Just took a while to rest up, and then as the offseason progressed, I was able to do more and more,” Lynn said Monday. “It’s just one of those things, when you get older, you’ve got to do more tedious things. All the boring things you don’t want to do when you’re young, like stretch, you have to do them now.”

As for conditioning, the 6-5, 270-pound kind of shrugged at that one.

“I’m not big on conditioning ever,” he said.

“What, you have to run it across home plate to get anybody out? When we start doing that, that’s when I’m done.”

Minor deals

The Sox agreed to terms on minor-league contracts and extended non-roster invites to spring training with free agents right-hander Kyle Crick, left-handers Wes Benjamin, Brandon Finnegan and Yacksel Rios, catcher Nick Ciuffo, and outfielders Luis Basabe and Dwight Smith Jr.

Outfielder Yoelqui Cespedes, infielders Jose Rodriguez and Zach Remillard, right-handers Caleb Freeman, Tyler Johnson, Kade McClure and Emilio Vargas, left-handers Tanner Banks, Andrew Perez and Hunter Schryver and catchers Carlos Perez and Xavier Fernandez received invites to major-league camp from within the system.

Harrison next

Free agent second baseman Josh Harrison’s signing could be made official Tuesday.

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