CLEVELAND -- The injury bug bit the White Sox three times on Wednesday.
The first bite came early when the team put Andrew Benintendi on the 10-day injured list with a left adductor strain.
And the third bite came at the end of the game, when Mike Tauchman came up lame after rounding third base as the potential game-tying run with two outs in the ninth inning.
While Tauchman still tried to limp home to tie the game, he was easily tagged out in front of the plate as the final out in the ninth.
After the game, the White Sox announced that Tauchman was dealing with right hamstring tightness. Tauchman (right hamstring strain) and Lee (left ankle sprain) were placed on the 10-day IL Thursday morning, with outfielder Joshua Palacios and catcher Omar Narváez having their contracts selected from Triple-A Charlotte and Double-A Birmingham, respectively. Right-hander Juan Carela was released to make room for the players on the 40-man roster.
After falling to the Guardians in the series opener on Tuesday, Chicago¡¯s loss Wednesday stung in multiple ways.
Not only did it drop another game against Cleveland for the club's seventh straight loss, but it also lost two key contributors (and a potential win) due to injuries.
¡°It¡¯s unfortunate. I hope Mike¡¯s alright,¡± White Sox manager Will Venable said.
While Benintendi had been out for a bit, his IL placement confirms the Sox will be without a key cog in their lineup for most of April.
Luckily for Chicago, it doesn¡¯t seem like the 30-year-old will be out long.
¡°To be honest, I think I probably could have played in a couple days,¡± Benintendi said. ¡°But where we¡¯re at right now in the season, the [best thing] is to just give it some time. I fully anticipate coming back in a week.¡±
Benintendi¡¯s injury comes at a time when the White Sox lineup is struggling. They only managed one run through the first eight innings Wednesday before Miguel Vargas¡¯ two-out single with the bases loaded put them in a position to tie the game off Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase.
Jacob Amaya scored ahead of Tauchman, who looked fine in between second and third but started limping not long after hitting third base.
¡°I¡¯m sad for what happened to Mike,¡± Vargas said. ¡°We battled the whole game, but I¡¯m really proud of the work we¡¯ve been doing.¡±
Tauchman tried to limp his way home, but fell to his knees a couple feet away from home plate, where he was tagged out by Guardians catcher Austin Hedges.
¡°I saw the guy pulling up, and you never want to see a guy pulling up like that, especially when the game's on the line,¡± said Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, who threw the ball to home on the play. ¡°You have to know that was really hurting him.¡±
After the game, Venable said that Lee will also undergo further evaluation for his ankle injury.
Meanwhile, Lee has been a bright spot for the White Sox this year (.333 average, two doubles), and any injury to him will send Chicago's catching plans into a tailspin.
Matt Thaiss (who replaced Lee) is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster. If Chicago needs to recall another backstop, one option would be one-time All-Star Omar Narv¨¢ez, who is currently with Double-A Birmingham.
But no matter what option they make, the White Sox are going to have to plan for a short term that will likely be without both Benintendi and Lee, and possibly Tauchman.
After only hitting .229 last year, Benintendi got off to a hot start this season, hitting .290 with two home runs and six RBIs.
This isn¡¯t the first injury that Benintendi has had to work through this season. He missed almost all of Spring Training due to a broken right hand, but ended up returning earlier than expected. He¡¯s hoping for the same kind of result this time around.
¡°The last few years have been kind of unfortunate with injuries, but it¡¯s better to catch it early and get it over with right now as opposed to letting it linger for a few months,¡± Benintendi said.
One of the players whom the White Sox may lean on in Benintendi's absence is outfielder Greg Jones, who was called up from Triple-A Charlotte as the corresponding move for Benintendi¡¯s injured-list placement.
Jones, a first-round Draft pick by the Rays in 2019, made his MLB debut with the Rockies last year and went 1-for-5 over six games with a home run.
¡°You¡¯ll see him in a variety of roles,¡± Venable said.