Liam Hendriks’ return to baseball after undergoing treatment for cancer hit a speed bump Sunday when the White Sox placed the right-hander on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.
Left-hander Tanner Banks was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte to fill Hendriks’ spot on the active roster.
Hendriks, 34, is 2-0 with one save and a 5.40 ERA with three strikeouts after being reinstated from the injured list on May 29. He earned two wins and a save in his last three appearances.
Hendriks began the season on the IL to continue his treatment for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He publicly revealed his cancer diagnosis on January 8, completed treatment on April 3 and announced he was cancer free on April 20.
General manager Rick Hahn on Sunday said Hendriks’ symptoms are similar to the flexor strain he suffered last season but said it’s too soon for an exact diagnosis or timeline for a return. Hendriks is still under evaluation, and his status will be updated Tuesday, Hahn said.
Hendriks faced three batters and threw 14 pitches in his last outing Friday, a perfect ninth inning against the Marlins, a 2-1 Sox victory in which he earned the win. His velocity was in the 93-95 mph range, a few miles per hour below his normal levels. Manager Pedro Grifol said after the Sox’ 5-1 loss to the Marlins Saturday that Hendriks was not available.
Hendriks was on the IL with a flexor strain last season from June 14 to July 4.
“We don’t know if that will be the similar path to this year,” Hahn said. “Symptomatically it’s presenting similar to last year but it’s too early to for me to tell you we’re going to follow the same treatment and return to play as 2022.”
Hendriks’ placement on the IL is retroactive to Saturday.
“On the first fundamental level I’m disappointed for him, just because of how muchhe has fought through and what he’s personally been through to get himself back to this level,” Hahn said. “So, I feel for him the person first. Secondly, yeah, it’s disappointing to lose a potential weapon for the back end of our bullpen for some sort of period of time. That said, we feel a lot of confidence in the other options we have down there.”
Banks, 31, is 2-0 with a 3.13 ERA with 30 strikeouts and three walks in 13 relief appearances with Charlotte this season. He owns a 3.38 ERA in four relief appearances over two stints with the Sox in 2023.
