Tony La Russa could return to the White Sox as soon as next week.
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, La Russa will attend his former player Dave Stewart’s No. 34 retirement ceremony in Oakland on Sunday. He plans to rejoin the team soon after. However, there has been no official statement about when that might be.
The news was immediately met with a volatile reaction from most of the White Sox fan base. It’s good that the 77-year-old appears to be healthy. However, throwing him back into the mix could disrupt the positive mojo the White Sox have going for them.
A spokesperson for the White Sox issued a statement regarding La Russa’s status, saying, “nothing has really changed. He is continuing to undergo tests, and until we heat outcomes from those tests, not sure anyone knows the plans or timing.”
Miguel Cairo also commented on the situation. “Nothing that we know yet. We wait and see. He’s fine. I talk to him every day. He’s doing good; he sounds fine.”
These seem like conflicting statements. But La Russa is itching to return. The White Sox have enabled him the past two seasons, so there is no reason to believe he won’t be back.
Miguel Cairo has served as the interim manager during La Russa’s absence and has done an admirable job. With Cairo at the helm, the White Sox are 6-3 entering Thursday’s game against the Oakland Athletics.
Cairo has seemingly pushed all the right buttons. He has been aggressive with his strategy, utilized hit-and-runs, moved players around, and changed the batting order. The team is clicking under his leadership. There has been a noticeable shift in the team’s energy as well.
Despite the promising results, Cairo was never meant to be the permanent solution. La Russa’s absence was strictly health-related and had nothing to do with the White Sox trying to find a graceful way to remove the Hall of Famer, despite what some conspiracy theorists believe.
But a bad situation could quickly turn worse if the White Sox suddenly reverted back to their old ways upon La Russa’s return. La Russa has already stained his reputation with his disastrous second stint with the White Sox. He went from winning three World Series titles, six pennants, and being known as one of the greatest minds in baseball history to a laughing stock.
Some highlights from the La Russa circus include:
- Not knowing rules.
- Poor lineup decisions.
- Calling out a player that hit a home run.
- Intentionally walking multiple batters while his pitcher is up in the count.
- Falling asleep in the dugout.
- Fielding a team that matches his personality at times.
Even his 93-win 2021 campaign was marred with controversy.
At this point, White Sox fans need to accept the fact that it’s not a matter of if Tony La Russa returns but when.
