http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/artic...sp&c_id=cws

 

Owens closer to return

Center fielder eligible for activation Tuesday; rehab stint likely

By Scott Merkin / MLB.com

 

CLEVELAND -- Jerry Owens continues to make progress in the rehab of a small tear in his right abductor muscle, suffered during Spring Training.

 

But Ozzie Guillen stated prior to Thursday afternoon's series finale at Progressive Field that the fleet-footed leadoff man will not return to the White Sox without a little prior game experience.

 

"He cannot come here without getting some at-bats," said Guillen of Owens, who could come off the disabled list Tuesday, a scheduled off-day for the White Sox. "He's not that good. He's got to go out there and do what everybody else has to do.

 

"It's one thing to be on rehab and one thing to be playing good. You can tell me, 'I'm ready to go,' and all of the sudden you didn't even get a hit yet or you didn't swing the bat good."

 

Getting at-bats during extended Spring Training, against kids, as Guillen pointed out, won't be enough for Owens to get acclimated to the tough pitching the White Sox will be facing over the next week. With their Minor League seasons beginning on Thursday night, Guillen would rather Owens to play for Triple-A Charlotte or Double-A Birmingham.

 

Of greatest importance to Guillen is having Owens back for the long haul. The White Sox want to make sure he's completely healthy and not back on Tuesday but gone a week or two later.

 

"We don't have a set date for him to come back. I haven't even heard from him or from the trainers [in Arizona]," said Guillen of Owens. "We have to see how he's doing. He has to come back here 100 percent.

 

"I don't want him to be here playing every other day, because he's sore. We have plenty of guys here that can cover that situation.

 

"When he comes back, we'll make the decision what kind of move we'll make with the roster," Guillen added. "I think the guys that don't help us, they're the one that's going to go down. Right now, I don't have any idea how we're going to do it."

 

Well, there's some hope.

 

Maybe they keep him in AAA for awhile.

If only the league allowed a player to rehab for 19 weeks . . .

I thought it was funny in the Tribune article where Ozzie was quoted as saying Owens isn't that good (I know it was in a certain context, but still funny).

 

"He cannot come here without getting some at-bats," Guillen said of his leadoff hitter, who is recovering from a slight tear of his right adductor muscle. "He's not that good. "

I don' think Ozzie is under any delusions that Jerry is some kind of god... I think he likes him because of the balance he brings to the line up.

Maybe Charlotte will like him so much they'll keep him.

I don' think Ozzie is under any delusions that Jerry is some kind of god... I think he likes him because of the balance he brings to the line up.

I think he feels the way Soxtalk felt about 1.5 years ago about Owens, he COULD be a good leadoff man for the Sox, of course he isnt there yet.

Maybe Charlotte will like him so much they'll keep him.

No... They can have either Owens or Anderson, and I think Charlotte made it's preference pretty clear last season.

Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but this quote from Ozzie with no mention of BA, suggests to me that he is gonna be the last guy to get a shot and will most likely be the one sent down when Owens returns.

 

Lineup change: After going with the same starting lineup for the first two games against the Indians, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen made a change Thursday.

 

Carlos Quentin made his Sox debut, going 1-for-4.

 

Quentin started in left field, and Nick Swisher moved to center. Alexei Ramirez, a major-league rookie with seven years of experience in his native Cuba, started in center field the first two games of the season and was 1-for-8 with 4 strikeouts.

 

"Ramirez has had a tough time,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said. "It's not easy for him, for anyone facing a couple guys running for the Cy Young (Cleveland starters C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona). I'm going to give him a break and he'll be back in the lineup in Detroit.

 

"That doesn't mean I'm going to give up on him, but I think Quentin needs some playing time. I like the way Ramirez is playing. He's played a good center field."

 

Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but this quote from Ozzie with no mention of BA, suggests to me that he is gonna be the last guy to get a shot and will most likely be the one sent down when Owens returns.

 

Lineup change: After going with the same starting lineup for the first two games against the Indians, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen made a change Thursday.

 

Carlos Quentin made his Sox debut, going 1-for-4.

 

Quentin started in left field, and Nick Swisher moved to center. Alexei Ramirez, a major-league rookie with seven years of experience in his native Cuba, started in center field the first two games of the season and was 1-for-8 with 4 strikeouts.

 

"Ramirez has had a tough time,'' manager Ozzie Guillen said. "It's not easy for him, for anyone facing a couple guys running for the Cy Young (Cleveland starters C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona). I'm going to give him a break and he'll be back in the lineup in Detroit.

 

"That doesn't mean I'm going to give up on him, but I think Quentin needs some playing time. I like the way Ramirez is playing. He's played a good center field."

could be...i hope if ozzie gives alexei a shot it will be at 2b and not CF though

If only the league allowed a player to rehab for 19 weeks . . .

They do. It's called a "Minor league option".

That's fine with me. I don't know who I'd want to go down to bring him up.