Engel hasn’t played all season after straining his hamstring and then suffering a Grade 3 tear.
Watching your teammates play isn’t the same as competing yourself.
That’s one of the reasons why rehabbing White Sox outfielder Adam Engel is glad to be playing again, even if it is with Triple-A Charlotte.
“It’s nice to get a little adrenaline pumping,” Engel said. “It’s been a while since I felt the adrenaline while I’m participating. I felt some adrenaline watching the games in Chicago but it’s nice to get a little bit of a pulse and go out and try to perform.”
Friday was Engel’s third game with the Knights and second in center field as he works his way back to the Sox, and he entered the matchup with Norfolk hitting 3 for 8 with a home run. After originally straining his hamstring in spring training, Engel had a setback when he suffered a Grade 3 tear.
Considering what’s happened to the Sox outfield since Engel first got hurt in spring training, they could use him as soon as possible. Both Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez are out long term, and the Sox are scraping by in the outfield.
Engel, more known for his glove, showed progress at the plate during a shortened 2020 and will be a boost when he comes back. On Friday, he said he felt like he’s getting closer to where he feels very competitive.
“If I were to get the call tonight, ‘Hey, you’re going back to Chicago,’ I think I’d be ready to contribute,” Engel said. “I’m not in midseason form yet by any means offensively but I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot.”
One reason Engel is confident it won’t take him a long time to get back into form quickly is because of the bench role he’s had with the Sox. Because of that, Engel has experience trying to contribute despite not getting regular at-bats. His uncomplicated swing and hitting setup, Engel said, is based around being ready to go at a moment’s notice.
Engel isn’t at his best yet, but it shouldn’t be too long before he sees the ball and trusts his eyes at the plate.
“I don’t think it’s going to take a real long time to get to that place where guys are at now,” Engel said. “Hopefully shorter than the average player.”
Due to the nature of the injury, Engel was able to take swings before he could run. He feels like he’s further along at the plate than the field because of that, but Engel’s not worried about that because it doesn’t take him long to get ready defensively.
Of course, that’s the part of his game that helped Engel make a name for himself.
“It’s good to get back out there, get some reads, try and make some quick moves towards balls in the gap and things like that,” Engel said. “Leg’s feeling really good and I continue to build and hope to get back to Chicago pretty soon.”
In terms of health, Engel’s workload is being monitored. His hamstring is obviously a concern, but so is Engel’s entire body because of his relative lack of work. The last thing the Sox or Engel want is another injury, keeping him on the shelf even longer.
The team’s medical staff has told Engel that pain is going to be normal for a little while, but he shouldn’t be able to injure himself from a structural standpoint. There shouldn’t be anything on the field Engel can’t do, and if he feels like he can’t do something he just needs to work on it a little more.
“I’m not super concerned about any particular movement out on the field,” Engel said.
from Chicago Sun-Times - All https://ift.tt/2SyojtU
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