'Beyond baseball': Hendriks named AL Comeback Player of the Year

CHICAGO -- Liam Hendriks didn’t return from a subpar previous season or an injury to be named the 2023 American League Comeback Player of the Year.

No, this particular award represents more of a real-life feel, after Hendriks battled Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Hendriks announced his condition on Jan. 8, and it reached remission on April 20. The right-hander made his season debut on May 29 at Guaranteed Rate Field, in what was arguably the top moment of the 2023 season for the White Sox.

But it would have been the club's top moment even if it had won 101 games instead of losing 101. Simply put, Hendriks was and is an inspiration.

“Oh my God. That was the most important thing ever. That was beyond baseball. This is life-threatening. This is not a [Tommy John],” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said of Hendriks during an end-of-season interview. “You are talking about battling cancer.

“This is real, and who cares about baseball. This is one of the good guys in the game. He cares about others, he’s selfless and is always serving. I just wanted him to put a uniform back on. When he did that, it was a really emotional thing for us.”

The 34-year-old Hendriks -- who was joined in this award by National League recipient Cody Bellinger -- received support from fans, teammates, members of the White Sox organization, players from outside the White Sox and from the few Major League players who had dealt with the same insidious illness. His wife, Kristi, was right by his side during the entire process, from chemotherapy and immunotherapy all the way to his mound return and beyond.

“I knew Liam was going to be on a mound before we started chemo,” Kristi told reporters prior to her husband throwing 27 pitches against the Angels before a raucous and appreciative crowd. “That was his saving grace.

“He said, ‘I’m going to play again if it takes me four rounds, if it takes me six rounds, if it goes more, if it goes less. I’m just going to do that because I need to do that for myself.’ And then when all the fan support got behind him, it was 100% a moment of, ‘I’m doing this for the city of Chicago.’”

Kristi and Liam built off Liam’s recovery to help others, which is a theme of giving back that they regularly followed since arriving in Chicago prior to the 2021 season. Liam had numerous pregame meetings with people who were going through cancer treatment or had recovered from cancer treatment, focused on giving them a forum to talk about the illness.

Off the field, Hendriks was the 2023 White Sox nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, and he was named the Players Choice AL Comeback Player of the Year. On the field, Hendriks finished with a 2-1 record, 5.40 ERA and one save in five games after amassing 75 saves over his first two years in Chicago.

The White Sox declined Hendriks' $15 million option for 2024, making him a free agent. Hendriks will receive $1.5 million per year from 2024-33 as part of his buyout.

Although there’s some uncertainty regarding his future, nobody will forget Hendriks’ moving comeback this season, or the award that came with it. And that honor could perhaps belong to Hendriks once again in 2025, as the elite closer works his way back from Tommy John surgery, which ended this past campaign after a scoreless appearance against the Marlins on June 9.

“Obviously what he’s been through this past year has been significant,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “That can’t be lost. To be able to overcome and come back to the Major Leagues with the cards he was dealt, that’s a pretty special accomplishment.”

That wasn't lost on Hendriks, either.

“It was definitely emotional,” said Hendriks on the night he returned. “It was humbling, going out there and walking out there and seeing the amount of people wearing my shirts and the amount of people having signs or flags, the amount of people that were chanting when I came into the game.”