Mixed luck on rehab stints for White Sox

It’s a big day for what has been a big year for White Sox injuries. While Miguel Gonzalez isn’t yet ready to test his groin and Austin Jackson might be researching the avocado market for all we know, four other injured White Sox are approaching moments of truth, for better or for worse.

Brett Lawrie was pulled from his rehab stint in Birmingham over the weekend for further evaluation in Chicago, which isn’t good since the last reports about his injury included a new area of his leg.

Lawrie, who was originally shelved for a hamstring injury that required DL team when it ended up involving his knee, hasn’t been able to complete a game at Birmingham in a week due to a sore quad.

He started well and good, going 5-for-12 over his first three games, albeit only one at second base. After Birmingham’s day off on Aug. 16, he started a fourth consecutive game, but he wasn’t able to complete it, even at DH. He took two days off and started at second on Saturday, only to again depart after two at-bats.

It’s fair to expect bad news. For one, Lawrie has only been able to play 130 games in a season once in five tries, and he’s not a stranger to interrupted rehab stints. It’d also be fitting for Lawrie to miss an extra week or 10, since that’s the only way his acquisition could’ve been a disappointment relative to the investment made (see Jackson).

I imagine somebody from the White Sox will provide an update later today, whether it’s Robin Ventura, Rick Hahn or Lawrie himself.

Alex Avila: Speaking of aborted rehab efforts, Alex Avila returned to action from his hamstring strain with Charlotte on Monday, going 3-for-4 at DH. Assuming he survived his three trips on the basepaths -- which is how he hurt himself the first two times -- now it’s on to back-to-back games, which is a bigger obstacle than it sounds. His last attempt at recovering from his hamstring injury in mid-July ended halfway through his second game, resulting in another missed month.

Avisail Garcia: Relative to Avila and Lawrie, Garcia is in the express lane. He went on the disabled list retroactive to Aug. 7 with a sprained right knee, but he was in good-enough shape to start rehabbing in Charlotte before he was eligible to return. He’s hitting in Triple-A like he always has, going 5-for-13 with a homer and a double over three games, the last two in right field.

Tyler Saladino: He missed the entire Oakland series with a sore back, but he is supposed to be available for the Philadelphia series. Supposed to be.