Cincinnati Native Andrew Benintendi Glad To Be Home For Pete Rose Night

CINCINNATI – Andrew Benintendi is on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain, but he's had a good week for a few reasons.

The White Sox outfielder is back in his hometown, so he's gotten to see family and friends and hit traditional Cincinnati spots like Skyline Chili and Graeter's ice cream.

"I'm a fan. I grew up on [Skyline], so I know some people don't like it," Benintendi said. "It's an acquired taste, from what I've been told, but, you know, the family's got a couple Skylines, so I can't say anything bad about it."

"I know [my family members] wish I was out there, which I do too, but, you know, it is what it is," Benintendi said. "... It's been great just to see everybody."

He also watched his teammates defeat the Reds 5-1 in extra innings in Tuesday's series opener, the White Sox third win in the last four games. And prior to Wednesday's game, he ran and took some swings, a sign he could be nearing a return.

"Hopefully soon. Hard to say. If it was up to me, I'd be back right now," Benintendi said. "There's obviously a long way to go. So there's certain steps I've got to take, so hopefully soon."

"Feeling good. I think [Tuesday] was the first day I could really kind of turn it up a little bit and felt good this morning waking up, and then yeah, felt pretty good today. So, I mean, it feels better than I anticipated."

Benintendi was placed on the injured list after leaving the game on May 4 with a left calf strain. He said the injury was a buildup from few days before, and he felt it even more while taking a stutter step running to third base against the Astros. He's glad he told a trainer and exited the game that day, so that the injury didn't get worse.

This is Benintendi's second stint on the injured list after missing time with a left adductor strain, which has limited him to 24 of 42 games to begin the season. He doesn't think the injuries are related, and said the cold weather hasn't helped either, so he's glad it's warming up. But he's still disappointed to miss time.

"It sucks," Benintendi said. "You start, you know, hitting in general, you're getting into a rhythm and you've got to find that rhythm and these little nagging things that have kind of kept me out, kept me from playing. You've got to go back through that again and try to find a rhythm again. So, you know, hopefully it won't be long."

The White Sox trip to Cincinnati also falls on Pete Rose Night on Wednesday at Great American Ballpark. All fans received a replica No. 14 jersey, and there were a variety of pregame ceremonies to honor the all-time MLB hits leader.

Rose had been on MLB's permanently ineligible list since 1989 after it was found that he bet on Major League games. But on Tuesday, commissioner Rob Manfred concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual.

Benintendi left the debate around Rose to others, but he certainly knows how much he means to Cincinnati. Benintendi went to Madeira High School, just under 20 miles from Western Hills High School, where Rose attended.

"I don't have much thought on it, to be honest. 
I mean, that's not for me to decide," Benintendi said. "Obviously, he's meant a great deal to this city. So, I mean, as a guy from Cincinnati, I'm happy that [they] made a decision like that."

"That was a little before my time. Obviously, I knew about him growing up. I'm not exactly sure where he's from, he's from around here somewhere, though. I think I've been to his hometown once or twice. Yeah, I mean, guy could hit. So it's a lot of hits. ... When you think about a guy like that, the hustle, the longevity. He played 24 years. So yeah, I mean, he was one of the best hitters of all time."