Yasmani Grandal is nearing a return to the Chicago White Sox lineup. On Saturday a video emerged of Grandal running the bases. This was part of a short workout that the training staff put him through on Wrigley Field before the game.
In the short clip, you can see Grandal running to first and then slowing down to make the turn towards second. This is a great sign. It looks like he is close to full speed and his knees seem to be holding up well.
Back on July 1st, he crumbled to the ground in the sixth inning in a game against the Minnesota Twins after a check swing. The non-contact injury made it look especially serious as Grandal rolled around on the grass wincing in pain. He eventually was helped to his feet but exited the game with what was called a left calf strain. It turned out to be a torn tendon in his knee.
After an evaluation, doctors determined that the best course of action was to perform surgery. He underwent surgery from Dr. Kihil Verma at Rush hospital in Chicago to repair the torn tendon in his knee. Shortly after, it was clear that Grandal would be back at some point.
Getting Yasmani Grandal back would really help the Chicago White Sox roster.
For your mental health: Yasmani Grandal running pic.twitter.com/9EfFVNF1V6
— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) August 7, 2021
The White Sox could really use the offensive boost at the catcher position. Zack Collins entered Saturday’s game against the Cubs with just two hits in his last 30 plate appearances. Meanwhile, Seby Zavala is hitting just .238.
Before going down with an injury, Grandal served as the anchor of the White Sox offense. In his last 15 games, he was hitting .298, with four home runs, 15 RBIs, eight walks, and a .574 slugging percentage. At the time of his injury, his 14 home runs were tied for the team lead.
Even after missing a month, he is still third on the White Sox in homers training only Jose Abreu (21) and Cesar Hernandez (20). Now that he is running again, it is only a matter of time before he is back behind the plate.