BALTIMORE -- Early indications are that Avisail Garcia has avoided serious injury.
The White Sox outfielder may not play again until Tuesday with a right hamstring strain, but as of now he isn’t headed for the disabled list.
Garcia is out of action for Saturday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles and likely Sunday as well to rest a hamstring he tweaked on the final play of Friday’s loss. The White Sox also are off Monday, which would give Garcia three days to rest before he could potentially return at home against the Boston Red Sox. Jerry Sands is starting in Garcia’s place as the team’s designated hitter.
“It’s a little tight,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “I don’t think it’s a DL situation there, but he definitely did something going down the line there. Get Sandsy in there and stay away from Avi tonight and reassess it tomorrow. He seems confident it’s not going to linger too long.”
This is the second time Garcia has injured his hamstring in his career. He also suffered one in 2012 while at High-A Lakeland. Garcia tested his hamstring Saturday and determined he’d be out of action, though he feels better with early treatment.
“When I started running, I tried to put 100 percent, and then I started feeling it,” Garcia said. “When I jumped, that’s when I feel it the most. But it’s nothing serious. I feel a little bit pain, a little bit tight, but I can move my leg. I don’t want it to get worse. I just want to get the treatment today and tomorrow and we have a day off on Monday. So let’s see how I feel on Tuesday, hopefully ready though.”
The timing couldn’t be worse for Garcia, who had begun to find his stroke. Garcia has displayed more confidence on this trip than he has all season and had gone 8-for-18 with a double, triple, homer and four RBIs and two walks. The spurt has helped Garcia raise his average by 79 points to .214.
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Ventura said he’s just glad the injury doesn’t seem too serious after three White Sox players hit the DL earlier in the week.
“You can’t plan for that stuff,” Ventura said. “It’s a good sign to see he’s swinging the bat and doing that. You just take care of him, get him healthy and keep back at it. You can’t ever plan, no matter what you just keep playing. For him it’s more confidence that he has of what he’s doing right now that he can keep.”