Dunn and Pierzynski Out ‘Til Tuesday, Konerko Update

Adam Dunn and A.J. Pierzynski were held out of the White Sox starting lineup on Saturday and manager Ozzie Guillen said it’s unlikely we’ll see either return before Tuesday.

Dunn was given the night off Friday with the lefty Bruce Chen on the mound (not that having him in the lineup would have hurt any). He was left out of Saturday’s lineup due to a death in the family and Guillen said with the lefty Jeff Francis taking the hill on Sunday, we shouldn’t expect to see Dunn back in the lineup until Tuesday against Ubaldo Jimenez and the Cleveland Indians.

The team is off Monday.

A.J. Pierzynski was hit by a pitch in the third inning Friday night and removed himself from the game after the fourth inning. X-Rays were negative and he was diagnosed with a bruised left wrist.

Again, with the lefty on the mound Sunday, Guillen decided to play it safe and not push anything, giving him extra rest through Tuesday.

Paul Konerko, who hasn’t played in the field since being hit in the left knee by a 95-mph Andrew Miller fastball on July 31, said he’s getting closer to returning to playing defense.

Konerko told reporters that Tuesday is a possibility, but Guillen said Wednesday is a more plausible return date.

Guillen makes his lineups the night before games, and with the off-day Monday, he has no interest in coming to U.S. Cellular to hit grounders to PK, especially when he has plenty of backup first baseman (Brent Lillibridge, Dunn and now apparently Alejandro de Aza).

Dayan Viciedo is also playing first base Saturday night for Triple-A Charlotte, according to the Knights’ Twitter. Viciedo was a third baseman last year but was moved to right field this spring due to defensive issues. The more versatile he is, the better chance he has of getting at-bats every day once he’s inevitably called up to the majors.