Ramos, Thorpe bouncing back from elbow ailments at White Sox camp

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Bryan Ramos hit on the field for the first time during Wednesday’s White Sox workout at the team's Camelback Ranch facilities as he continues to ramp up activities after being hampered by soreness in his right elbow.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Ramos told MLB.com. “I’ve been hitting. I’ve been doing pretty much everything. The only thing I haven’t been doing is throwing for now. I’m not that worried. I’m hitting, and I don’t feel anything.

“It’s just going to take a little bit of time to do normal stuff like throwing and individual defense, things like that. Definitely taking ground balls and hitting with the team.”

Ramos, who turns 23 on March 12, is in consideration to break camp with Chicago, even potentially as a designated hitter if the throwing limitations continue. He posted a .585 OPS with three home runs and 11 RBIs during a memorable first big league season beginning on May 4 in St. Louis.

The league quickly adjusted to the energetic Ramos. But the Cuban infielder picked up game knowledge as he moved forward, and he now is turning to teammates to potentially enhance that information.

“You pick up something from everybody and you can use it, like with your confidence,” Ramos said. “You can do whatever you always do, but you listen to everybody and you take the best for you.”

Thorpe feeling good
Right-hander Drew Thorpe threw 21 pitches during his first side session of Spring Training on Tuesday, making it a light side while keeping velocity between 84-85 mph. Thorpe was slowed by offseason right elbow soreness as an offshoot of his Sept. 7 season-ending surgery to shave down a bone spur.

More good news followed on Wednesday when manager Will Venable said Thorpe felt good with no pain after the bullpen session. Thorpe had a cortisone shot on Jan. 24, and hasn’t had a bad day since that point.

“I still had surgery,” Thorpe said. “It was a little less invasive than a [Tommy John] or something, but [they] still went in there and dug some stuff out. It’s just part of the build-up process that I had to get past.”

Thorpe is on schedule for three weeks of side sessions, followed by the first live BP. Breaking camp as part of the rotation remains unlikely for Thorpe, but after not throwing off the mound since last August, he was simply excited to get back in action.

“It’s been a while. I haven’t put on a jersey in a while,” Thorpe said. “Obviously it kind of sucks being behind everybody and seeing everybody throwing lives, and I’m still stuck here. It is what it is, and we’ll take our time and get there eventually.”

Opening Day boost
Having Colson Montgomery make the roster as the Opening Day shortstop would be a boost for the White Sox and the No. 39 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline. But general manager Chris Getz is looking beyond that first-day honor for Montgomery.

“Colson is a big part of our future, without question,” Getz said. “You look at what he’s capable of doing on both sides of the ball, the presence that he has, leadership qualities. But, most importantly, we want him to have a healthy and productive six-month season.

“We are not going to focus on just making the team out of Spring Training. We want to put him in the position that he’s got a real chance to be productive at the Major League level. Does that happen out of the gate? It’s to be determined. More than anything, we want to get the front end of the year right.”

Cactus League opener
Jared Shuster gets the starting nod for Saturday’s Cactus League opener against the Cubs. He is being stretched out as a starter after he posted a 4.30 ERA last season, with 35 of his 39 appearances coming in relief.