--INF Jayson Nix has almost dropped out of the running for the second base job and is in danger of not even being considered for a utility spot. Nix had been battling an injured right quadriceps and then hurt it again recently. It could keep him out for the rest of camp. "I'm kind of worried about him," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "With that type of injury, it's hard to recover quick. We should give him enough time, no matter what stage of spring training, to make sure he recovers 100 percent. He was playing good, making all the plays. I don't say he's out. The best move for the team and him is to make sure he's completely healthy and not try to put him there when he's not 100 percent. We have to be careful."
--2B Chris Getz has all but taken control of the second base competition, with Brent Lillibridge looking more like a reserve player, Jayson Nix banged up and Gordon Beckham having only 14 minor league games under his belt since being drafted last June. Manager Ozzie Guillen, however, said it was still too early to hand the position to anyone; he wants the battle to go to the end of camp. --RHP Bartolo Colon was less than stellar in his Cactus League debut on March 16, allowing four runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings. But manager Ozzie Guillen said afterward that his control problems had more to do with rust than anything else. Colon, who underwent cleanup surgery on his elbow in the offseason, did have good velocity on his fastball, but there is a chance he might need an extended spring training stay when the team breaks camp. The White Sox signed Colon in the winter to a $1 million contract that could earn him an additional $2 million in incentives.
--DH Jim Thome returned to the White Sox lineup on March 18 after missing almost a week because of a lower back strain. The injury was nothing new for Thome, who usually has to sit out a few times during the season when the chronic back problem shows up. The White Sox have had him on a back-strengthening program since he arrived to the South Side, and as Thome put it, "We know exactly how to attack the problem by now."
--LHP Clayton Richard is one potential replacement for RHP Bartolo Colon in the rotation if the veteran pitcher isn't ready for the start of the regular season. Each outing for Richard this spring has been better than the last, and what manager Ozzie Guillen really likes is that the southpaw throws strikes. The other option is RHP Jeff Marquez, but Richard has slightly out-performed him. "You have to be prepared for what's Plan B, and (Richard and Marquez) are the Plan B," Guillen said.
BY THE NUMBERS: 4 -- The number of home runs for Paul Konerko this spring as the first baseman continues offering further evidence that what the White Sox saw from him the final two months of a disappointing 2008 season is what they can expect this year.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "There are a lot of ways to do it. The object is to get on base. If the guy has a good on-base percentage, and if you do that by getting hits. ... Our team, they are not afraid to do anything, I'll tell you that. We'll figure it out." -- Captain Paul Konerko on the concerns that a leadoff hitter has not emerged this spring.
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