Andrew Vaughn's stay on the injured list was a short one, just as the Chicago White Sox hoped it would be.
The rookie left fielder was back on the active roster just two days after hitting the IL as a COVID-19 precaution, his situation mirroring that of Dylan Cease and Luis Robert, two White Sox who were placed on the injured list for similar reasons, and returned with similar rapidity, earlier this season.
General manager Rick Hahn said Thursday, when Vaughn went on the IL, that the team hoped the stay would not last long, something echoed by manager Tony La Russa during his media sessions in recent days. That turned out to be the case. Vaughn was spotted taking batting practice with the team Friday, and he was back in the White Sox starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers.
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"It's been a little hectic," Vaughn said Saturday of the previous couple days. "I got the vaccine. I actually had (COVID-19) last December. There was a lot of hope that it was just a false positive, which it ended up being. I took five tests yesterday or two days ago, and all of them came back negative. So it was all good.
"Better be safe than sorry. That's the biggest thing. We're in 2021, it's different times."
That's good news for the White Sox, who get their regular left fielder back in an outfield that continues to find its way through several significant injuries.
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It's a tough situation, though, for Gavin Sheets, the hot-hitting prospect who was called up to take Vaughn's roster spot Thursday and didn't see any action before returning to Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday. Sheets has received high praise since the spring and has swung a solid stick in the minors so far this season, with a .319/.360/.500 slash line, four homers and 20 RBIs in 23 games.
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