“He’s been playing through pain the first half, so it’s time for him to get a break,” said Sox manager Pedro Grifol, who believes the issue has inhibited Benintendi’s power.
A sore right wrist kept Andrew Benintendi out of the White Sox’ lineup for the last two games before the All-Star break. But discomfort in the left fielder’s wrist dates back beyond getting hit by a pitch last month in Los Angeles, to even some issues last season, according to manager Pedro Grifol.
“He’s been playing through pain the first half, so it’s time for him to get a break,” said Grifol, who believes the issue has inhibited Benintendi’s power. “He’ll tell you he’s not a 40-home-run guy, but he’s definitely not a one-home-run guy, either. He’s got some pop in there.”
Grifol is optimistic that Benintendi can drive the ball more than one homer and a .369 slugging percentage in the first half would indicate, but he declined to get into specifics on what, if any, procedure was done to alleviate the discomfort in his wrist.
“We’re addressing the wrist,” Grifol said. “I’m not going to get into that part of it, how we’re fixing it.
