Carlos

Lee

Lee, who had gone home to be with his son who was quite ill, is safe to start for the balance of the season.

Armando Rios will play left field.

Lee, who is taking batting practice, will not be rushed back into action. Don’t count on much from him this week.

However, Lee, who felt much better yesterday, stands a good chance of playing tonight.

We hope so, as Ross Gload had to bat cleanup for Chicago yesterday.

Lee is expected to arrive on Sunday.

Lee would join Luke Appling (1936) and Albert Belle (1997) with 27 game hit streaks, the longest in Sox history. He is hitting .376 (41-for-109) during the streak and has raised his batting average to .302 on the season.

He went 0-for-4 against Marlins’ starter Carl Pavano. Lee, who set a White Sox record for the longest hitting streak in franchise history, also has the longest streak in the majors this season.

He has hit in 27 straight games and is tied with Luke Appling (1936) and Albert Belle (1997). Lee has been Chicago’s steadiest hitter this season, despite the fact his power numbers are down. We wish him luck this evening.

Lee has raised his batting average from .230 to .286, but the left fielder has not hit a home run during the surge. While the batting average is nice, Lee still only has 4 HR and 27 RBI on the season, far below what fantasy owners expected of him when the season started, particularly in the power department. That should likely change soon.