White Sox Outfielder Returns After 'Incredibly Frustrating' Injury

CHICAGO – General manager Chris Getz said the White Sox may be the healthiest they've been all season heading into Friday's game.

A big reason for that is the return of Mike Tauchman. The outfielder began the season on the injured list, and lasted just three games before another injury. On April 9 in Cleveland, Tauchman suffered a right hamstring strain as rounded third base in an attempt to tie the game. He was tagged out at home for the final out of a 3-2 loss to the Guardians.

Though it wasn't the start to the season he wanted, Tauchman is excited to be back.

"It's been incredibly frustrating," Tauchman said. "You put a lot of time, put a lot of effort, put a lot of sacrifice into preparing yourself for a season, and it's something I take a lot of pride in. So not being available, it was really difficult. Then, you know, you think you're kind of over the hump and then suffer a setback and kind of have to start all over again from square one. When that happens, you kind of lose the luxury of being aggressive, and that's frustrating too because all I want to do is be out there. So it's been tough, and put a lot of effort in the rehab this time and looking forward to being back out there with the boys."

Tauchman compared his second rehab assignment to another spring training. Along with needing his hamstring to fully recover, he had to work through the general soreness that comes with not playing for roughly one month. Getting over that feeling and being able to play multiple days in a row helped him know when he was ready to return.

Tauchman was back action with Triple-A Charlotte on May 10 and played in eight rehab games. Across 33 plate appearances, he notched three hits, one RBI, three walks and 11 strikeouts.

"I feel good. Yeah, looking forward to it," Tauchman said. "I had a little bit of long rehab this time, so tried to build up some of that workload and I feel ready to go."

Though Tauchman played just three games for the White Sox between stints on the injured list, he maximized his opportunities with four hits in 12 plate appearances. In 350 plate appearances with the Cubs in 2024, he totaled seven home runs and 29 RBI while slashing .248/.357/.366/.723.

In his first game back on Friday, he played right field, hit second in the order and went 1-for-3 with a run and a walk. He also made a catch while running into the right field rail.

"Just professional at-bats. We’ve seen that from him from day one," White Sox manager Will Venable said. "Very selective at the plate while also being aggressive and hitting the ball hard. We expect that. Right back in there at the top of the lineup. Look forward to having him in there."