Lucas Giolito is nearing a return to the Chicago White Sox rotation.
The right-hander spent Tuesday pitching to hitters at the team’s complex in Arizona as part of his recovery from a left abdominal strain.
Giolito said the experience in Arizona “went well” and he anticipates pitching Sunday against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.
“I felt healthy,” Giolito said before Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. “That was the goal. Feel good, feel healthy for three ups. Get a nice number of pitches in, I think it was like 50-something. And be ready for rejoining the rotation and hoping to make a good impact going forward.”
Giolito went on the injured list after suffering the setback in the April 8 season opener at Detroit. He exited after allowing one hit, striking out six and walking two in four scoreless innings.
“People who watched him (Tuesday) said he was throwing the ball well,” Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “Health is the important part and he’s excited. So right now depending on how he feels (Wednesday) and when he throws his bullpen, pencil him in for Sunday.
“We get the big guy back. We’ve been surviving, keep maintaining that mode because we still have some guys out. But he’s a big guy to get back.”
Giolito said he’s “feeling very strong.”
“Took enough time to let it heal and kind of do all the work, exercises necessary to keep in a good spot,” he said. “(The injury) was weird. It sucked. But going to push forward now and get back to what I like doing a lot.”
Giolito said the recovery process was “pretty simple.”
“A big part of it was letting it heal and rest to a certain degree,” he said. “I was able to start throwing pretty soon after because throwing wasn’t really affecting it. Other than that, it was exercises for the abs and stability, strength, all that kind of good stuff.”
La Russa is also hearing positive reports on veteran pitcher Johnny Cueto, who officially agreed to a minor-league deal on April 8.
He is a possible option for a pitching staff without Lance Lynn, who is out after undergoing right knee surgery to repair a torn tendon on April 5. Lynn is expected to miss the first eight weeks of the season.
Cueto’s first steps were ramping up at the team’s Arizona complex before heading to Triple-A Charlotte.
“I hear the ball is coming out of his hand good,” La Russa said. “He’s a pitch maker. They’ve been very complimentary about how he’s been locating and his array of pitches. You can only speed it up so much. We’re looking forward to having him up here.”
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