Liam Hendriks throws during practice before Sox-Royals game
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The White Sox haven't yet made an official move with Liam Hendriks – who made his return to the minor league mound earlier this month after being declared cancer-free.
But it looks like it's coming soon.
Hendriks threw for a live batting practice session before the White Sox series opener against the Kansas City Royals on Friday.
There is still no official timetable for when the Sox expect Hendriks back on the active roster. Manager Pedro Grifol did say Hendriks was feeling good after his throwing session.
"He's Liam Henrdiks. He's the pitcher of the year. He's our closer. Of course, we want him back as soon as possible. Of course, he uplifts our club. He not only uplifts our club – the tempo of our club, the bullpen, the rhythm, everything about it," Grifol said. "But we're not going to jump to make any decisions. You know, we're just going to evaluate and take it and move forward."
And pitching coach Ethan Katz says don't worry about the profanity that could be heard from Hendriks while he was out there.
"That's Liam being Liam. You just don't hear it when there's 20,000, 30,000 people," Katz said. "It was good. I mean, everything was a step in the right direction from the stuff that we had looked at, and then where he's going – so it just takes time, and we're just trying to make sure we're getting all the right information and being able to evaluate properly."
Hendriks said he first noticed lumps in his neck last June, and ultimately growths in his hips were larger - eventually leading to a Stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis in December.
Hendriks said it was tough going through four rounds of chemotherapy. But he now has a clean bill of health.