White Sox won't rule out Jose Abreu playing some third base

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Jose Abreu has been taking ground balls on the left side of the infield during batting practice, and there could be more to that than a player passing time during pregame warmups.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura said it’s a “possibility” Abreu could see some time at third base during interleague play or if a dire emergency presented itself, like if Gordon Beckham, Conor Gillaspie and Emilio Bonifacio all were unavailable.

“There have been questions raised in an emergency of him being able to go over there and do it,” Ventura said. “He would love to do it.”

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Abreu worked out at third base during his showcase for teams before signing a six-year, $68 million deal with the White Sox in 2013. He spent time there during spring training — not in any games — but played all over the field growing up before turning pro in Cuba. He only played first base with Cienfuegos in eight seasons in the Cuban National Series, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

The White Sox first interleague series is May 11-13 in Milwaukee, and if Ventura wants to keep both Abreu and Adam LaRoche in the lineup, it could lead to the 28-year-old slugger making his professional debut at third base.

Of course, that’s still a big if. Right now, it’s just a hypothetical, but one that Ventura is at least willing to entertain.

“If we had a situation where we had to get both of those guys in the game, we would look at him,” Ventura said. “It's a possibility. He moves around very well. He's got good hands and he makes the throw fine. He's been over there. He does have that in him.”

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