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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Kendall Graveman noticed something different with his performance Friday against the Oakland Athletics at Hohokam Stadium.
“The first couple outings I had (this spring) were rough, I mean I found every barrel in Maricopa County,” the White Sox reliever joked . “The thing now, (I) got off some barrels (Friday), got some softer contact. Got some ground balls, which is my game.”
Graveman pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the 12-0 victory, his first appearance with the team since returning from the World Baseball Classic.
The right-hander is one of the late-inning options for the Sox in the absence of Liam Hendriks, who announced in January he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The Sox anticipate knowing more in the “coming days and weeks about a potential timeline” regarding their closer, according to general manager Rick Hahn.
In the meantime, Sox manager Pedro Grifol recently said the plan in those situations is “going to be leveraging it out, not going to have a designated closer (without Hendriks).”
“We’re going to leverage the bullpen and the first day we’ll have everybody available, second day we probably won’t,” Grifol said. “Once we get past the first day, unless we throw a complete game, we won’t have one or two of those guys available. So that is going to change on a daily basis.”
In addition to Graveman, the Sox could also turn to Joe Kelly, Aaron Bummer or Reynaldo López.
Kelly has a 2.57 ERA and six strikeouts in seven innings this spring.
“He’s really impressive to me,” Grifol said. “He’s not a big guy (6-foot-1, 180 pounds), he’s got some kind of power. He’s an unbelievable athlete. He’s got a lot of strength through body. He’s one of these guys you look at, 98-100 (mph) with power stuff. He slows the game down. He’s a veteran pitcher. He knows what he’s doing.”
López excelled in a relief role last season with a 2.76 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 61 outings (one start). He has continued to impress this spring with a 1.93 ERA and eight strikeouts in nine outings.
“I’ve been watching him pitch for a while now,” Grifol said. “He’s a special talent and he’s also a special kid.
“He’s up near 98, 99 (mph) average, 100. And he’s a good athlete, fields his position well, great feet. He’s not afraid. He likes the moment, likes the stage.”
Bummer, slowed for a portion of last season with a left lat strain, struck out two in his first outing of the spring Friday.
“He came out of that really good,” Grifol said Saturday. “He was in good spirits. He was happy. We are in a good spot.”
Grifol called Graveman — who has 16 career saves, including six last season with the Sox — a trusted reliever.
Graveman, now back with the Sox, was grateful for the World Baseball Classic opportunity with Team USA.
“I’ve played in the College World Series, I’ve played in the big league World Series and that tops both of them as far as atmosphere,” he said. “I’ve lost all three of those, came in second, but hopefully win a World Series one day.”
Graveman went 1-0 with a one strikeout in 1⅓ innings during two WBC appearances.
“I didn’t throw a ton in the WBC, but the good news is I started way early this year,” he said. “I started throwing live batting practice in the middle of January. I was way ahead of schedule. I think that helps that I had a lot of live batting practice and some game action before I went over there.
“So I feel like I’m healthy and ready to go for a season.”
Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada left Sunday’s Cactus League game against the Colorado Rockies after the second inning with lower back stiffness, the team announced.
Moncada struck out swinging in his second-inning at-bat at Camelback Ranch and was replaced before the top of the third. The Sox said he’s day to day.
In roster news, the Sox released reliever Bryan Shaw from his minor-league contract.
