First, just a cursory glance at say, the average age of the projected Opening Day lineups across the AL (that has just as little certainty as you’d expect)…

…reveals that Sox hitters are old, but not crazy old. Also, the Yankees are only listed as this young because 38 year-old Derek Jeter, 37 year-old Alex Rodriguez, and 32 year-olds Mark Teixiera and Curtis Granderson are already hurt and out for the season opener. We’re here worried about sore backs and groins while bones are breaking and hips are degenerating in New York.

Secondly, older lineups tend to be prevalent around win now teams. A lineup full of cost-controlled stars in their prime is the ideal but rarely the reality.

Of course, what a shame it then is to have an offense that’s both old and bad. The White Sox were average in their production last year once you get past the runners in scoring position spike (which packed its bags and skipped town in early September). Of their under-30 players, they have nice center fielder in his late-20′s (De Aza, 28), two premium defenders they would love to see hit for just average (Beckham, 26; Flowers, 27) and Dayan Viciedo (24). It’s all on you, Dayan*.

*I did not forget about Conor Gillaspie, the charm of his hot first week of spring is gone and the memory that the Giants traded him just to avoid DFA’ing him remains.

Anyways, what I’ve done here is show where my rambling thoughts went, without ever mentioning what set them off on their merry way! It had to do with this news item concerning 32 year-old Alex Rios. 

ICYMI, Alex Rios is out for a 3rd straight game w/ stiff back. Had MRI but isn’t concerned. Will update later. bit.ly/14jOcMT

— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesCSN) March 25, 2013

As I’ve mentioned, I sometimes struggle to know exactly how to weigh what an athlete means by “normal stiffness,” as Rios puts it. An MRI taking place puts it more in the territory of normal stiffness for high-intensity professional sports, as opposed to “I need an extra pillow to fall asleep.”

Rios claimed to have felt his back stiffen up lifting weights and keeps typifying the problem as “normal,” but even Robin Ventura is only giving him until Wednesday before he starts getting worried about that whole season that’s supposed to get kicked off next week.

Herm’s on the case and everything, but last season was replete with soreness and bruises and obliques that took a day or two longer than initially projected. Part of that can just be applied to a new managerial regime with a different, more reserved manner of projecting injury recoveries, but part of that could be the realities of an older roster. In that light, a Wednesday projection seems optimistic and Rios getting into a fake game or two before the real ones start is the hope I’ll hold out.

Meanwhile, Jesse Crain had his return to game action Monday and was completely hammered before he could even finish an inning. Luckily… 

Jesse Crain was 93-94 mph on the radar gun per a scout. #WhiteSox

— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesCSN) March 25, 2013

Not that velocity is everything in regards to being ready for the season. It certainly is not, because good lord was Crain victimized out there, but it was his primary complain last week, and now it’s more or less been overcome, even if his command is back at square one.

John Danks is still in the shop.

Follow James Fegan on Twitter @JRFegan

Jesse Crain feels much better after a two-inning performance in a minor-league game today. Threw 20 pitches. #WhiteSox

— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesCSN) March 23, 2013

“Feeling good, White Sox beat writers!”

It seems like Southside Showdown as a blogging entity, has probably dedicated too much time and energy to the travails of Jesse Crain’s abductor muscle (ESPN’s Bruce Levine is just calling it his groin).

It might have been spurred on by looking into the two identified replacements, Ramon Troncoso and Brian Omogrosso–a battle of ‘Has had MLB success but not in a while’ and ‘Conquered the minors but no signs yet of doing more.’

Troncoso

Troncoso spent last season getting obliterated for the Dodgers Triple-A squad, after being booted from the 40-man roster in March. His one shining year of effectiveness came when he posted a 2.72 ERA in 2009 over 82.2 innings of work. Emphasis on the ’82.2.’

Mike Petriello of Dodgers blog ‘Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness’ tells a tale of a reliever whose peripherals never backed up his production, and was ridden hard and put away wet by his manager.

“You can’t completely absolve Joe Torre. Troncoso’s average fastball velocity has dropped from 92.8 MPH to 92.5 to 90.7 in his three seasons under Torre, and if the overuse hasn’t led to a full-fledged blowout, it seems clear the wear-and-tear has had some effect.”

Troncoso doesn’t have strikeout stuff, or the plus-velocity that the White Sox so often covet, and was experiencing diminishing returns in his groundball rate. Perhaps he’s healthier now arm-wise, but he’s also recovering from being struck in the face with a line drive (knocking out four teeth) during winter ball.

Decent spring training ERA, though.

Omogrosso

Having weathered the hell of Tommy John surgery and a torn labrum already in his career, Omogrosso has spent the last two years slowly working his way up the chain of the upper minors. His 4.56 ERA in Triple-A last season wasn’t pretty, but 59 strikeouts and 12 walks in 47.1 innings sure was.

He’s never flashed that kind of control before, or since working his way up to the show. His 2.57 ERA was roughly a run-and-a-half to two runs better than his strikeout rate suggested it had any right to be. He’s got a perfect ERA on the spring, but also has more walks than strikeouts.

This is not to suggest the 28 year-old is not a major-leaguer, because he is, and will be one at some point this season. But he’s not overpowering, or going to be swapped in for Jesse Crain without anyone noticing. If anything, it would result in Matt Thornton getting ridden harder as an all-purpose setup man early in the year, which wouldn’t be the best for maintaining Thornton nor for retiring right-handed batters in late-game situations.

So this is good news:

Crain threw 20 pitches today. Felt good. Scheduled to throw again Monday in Cactus League game.

— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) March 23, 2013

And it allows us to move on to the next minor spring training injury overreaction.

Alex Rios scratched with lower back stiffness.

— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) March 23, 2013

Hey, there it is!

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Sure, Dayan Viciedo could leap forward, Tyler Flowers could surprise, the old fogies could combine for one last hurrah, but the known and reliable quantities are on the pitching staff.

So it’s particularly discouraging when that side of the roster is already pulling up lame in March. In addition to the Danks news from Wednesday, Jesse Crain looks likely to begin the season on the DL for the second-straight year after his hip abductor gave him discomfort and sapped his velocity during his Wednesday outing.

“I wouldn’t say pain,” Crain said. “But it was something that was affecting me, wouldn’t allow me to finish my pitches and put as much on it as I normally would. It was frustrating just because it’s been about three weeks, so I’m battling through it and not all the way there yet. Hopefully it’s part of the process of it healing and just got fatigued and just needs to get stronger.”

For all his control problems, peripheral-defying foibles and his failure to log 50 innings last season, Crain is the White Sox top right-handed set-up man. His absence would throw Matt Lindstrom and Brian Omogrosso into the fire early before Ventura can become comfortable with the matchups they’re capable of thriving in. It also is another entry in the growing ledger of health problems for the 31 year-old Crain in the final year of his contract. That’s certainly something to remember come this November.

At least we don’t have to worry about Keppinger

Jeff Keppinger really dragged out the process of proving he’s fully capable of stepping in and playing third base on Opening Day, but he’s made up for lost time by starting a lot of 5-4-3 double plays and clubbing the ball with wrath of hell since returning.

He’s 16 for 31 in the spring, drilled a home run to left on Thursday and has yet to strikeout in 2013. I’m declaring myself on break from worrying about his health. Let us never express interest in the middle portion of spring training again.

Also back on the field and trotting around in manners that make previous injury concerns seem preposterous–Dayan Viciedo showed no ill-effects from a quad strain Thursday and Alex Rios never actually missed the World Baseball Classic game he was supposed to miss after being stepped on by Angel Pagan. While he was in Thursday, Rios looked every bit the world-beater that finished 15th in AL MVP voting in 2012, roping two doubles and showing great pitch judgment.

Jordan Danks and Blake Tekotte optioned

Fifth outfielders are rare on major league rosters, especially when they are same-handed as the pre-installed fourth outfielder with a redundant, speed-based skill set.

In that regard, Jordan Danks never had a chance against Dewayne Wise‘s guaranteed contract, but it was nice to see him put up a fight. After starting the spring 1 for 18 punctuated with quirky moments in the field and basepaths, Danks has dragged his line up to .351/.429/.595 for the preseason with just a 16.7 strikeout percentage. There may still not be a path to contributing in the majors for Danks this season without a significant injury, but this some fine work to build on.

Blake Tekotte struggled at the plate and pressed in the field–perhaps no more obviously than when he dove for a ball 10 feet away from him and created a triple–and will now start his existence as a rangy speedster stashed in Triple-A.

With the level of success Hector Gimenez has had, and the earlier optioning of Brent Morel, the bench seems set with Wise, Conor Gillaspie, Angel Sanchez and Gimenez.

Follow James Fegan on Twitter @JRFegan