White Sox Release Timeline For Yasmani Grandal's Injury

Yasmani Grandal was placed on the 10-day IL with a left knee strain on Sunday after injuring it the previous night. Given Grandal's injury history, there was cause for concern. Last season he tore a tendon in his left knee that required surgery. Anything beyond a minor injury would put the remainder of his season at risk. However, the diagnosis is not as severe as initially thought. The White Sox announced that upon further examination of the knee, no acute damage to the ligaments, tendons or cartilage was revealed. He is dealing with inflammation caused by hyperextension of the knee. The 33-year-old is projected to return to the lineup in 10-14 days. Grandal led off the seventh inning with a single and then advanced to second base on a wild pitch. After Elvis Andrus hit a single up the middle, Grandal attempted to score from second base after White Sox third base coach, Joe McEwing, waved him home. Myles Straw's throw from center field beat Grandal easily, and he was tagged out. When trying to run around the tag, Grandal landed on his left foot awkwardly. He tumbled to the ground and grabbed his left knee in pain. He needed to be helped off the field and could not put any weight on it in the dugout. Grandal was seen with crutches in the locker room following Saturday's game. However, he arrived at the ballpark on Sunday without them despite carrying a limp. The incident could have been avoided if McEwing did not wave the slowest player on the team home on a soft ground ball to center field. Straw was charging in on the ball, giving him momentum to make the throw to home even easier.

White Sox Catcher Situation

Given Grandal's timeline the White Sox will now be without their starting catcher for at least nine games as the push for the playoffs continues. Grandal was batting just .203 on the season with three home runs but was showing signs of life at the plate. In his last 30 games, he is hitting .268, with a .366 OPB and 26 RBIs. The White Sox called up the 30th-ranked prospect in their system, Carlos Perez, in a corresponding move. Seby Zavala will now take over the interim starting catcher duties. Zavala has been solid this year, slashing .279/.326/.395 with 18 RBIs. Meanwhile, Perez is hitting .257/.319/.446 with an above-average wRC+ of 101. He also has a career-high 17 home runs in 91 at-bats in Triple-A Charlotte this season. The power surge this season has come as a bit of a surprise after only hitting 20 home runs in his last seven minor league seasons. But it has been something Perez was working on during the offseason as he tries to rid himself of his reputation of being a catcher with no power. What is most encouraging for Perez is his 8.2 strikeout percentage. The MLB average is 22.3%. Despite the solid numbers, it would be unfair to count on Perez to be a difference maker during his first taste of major league action, especially when he is being thrust into the heat of a pennant race. Expect Zavala to see the majority of the playing time over the next two weeks.