After baseball fans all across the country received the news that Liam Hendriks was diagnosed with cancer, many wondered if he would ever play baseball again. But, just six months later after going through chemotherapy, Liam Hendriks is set to make his debut on Memorial Day.
A Feel-Good Story
After a brutal loss to the Tigers in extra innings, White Sox fans were able to get some good news, as the White Sox tweeted out a bunch of green heart emojis to hint that Hendriks would be coming back. Not too long after, the White Sox officially announced that Liam Hendriks would be activated to the major league roster.
Along with the announcement, they tweeted an emotional video that included many White Sox players and coaches welcoming Liam back with all of them saying kind words about him.
Despite how the season has gone, this will be an amazing moment, and all baseball fans, no matter who their allegiance is to, can come together and appreciate how heartfelt and emotional Liam’s return will be. It is truly insane that he is able to be back on a major league mound only six months after being diagnosed with stage four cancer.
The White Sox will return home Monday to face the Angels, so hopefully Hendriks can make his season debut in a win in front of the home crowd. It is unclear if he will resume closer duties immediately, but one can assume they will get him a couple of outings before throwing him into a save situation, presumably despite Hendriks wanting to be in that situation.
Maybe this will be the jolt the White Sox will need to wake up, as losing three of four to the Tigers was a sobering wake-up call for a team that looked to be turning things around. If Hendriks coming back does not inspire this team, I don’t know what will.
What Will The Corresponding Move Be?
Not to detract from how amazing the return of Liam will be, but there will have to be a corresponding move made to make room for him on the active roster. Since there are limits on how many pitchers a team can have, it will have to be someone from the bullpen.
It will likely be Jimmy Lambert, as he has struggled a bit this season, and he is likely one of the few players that would have a minor league option and wouldn’t subject them to waivers.
Garrett Crochet has had some control issues since his return so they could always look to option him down to have him get that straightened out, but I can’t imagine that is a route they go, as he will need major league time to truly improve.
But, someone could make their way to the IL to delay the process. The White Sox are notorious for using this, so that is a strong possibility.
Regardless of the move, it will be truly inspirational and emotional to see Liam back on the mound in Chicago. This has been a moment many Sox and baseball fans have been waiting for since it was rumored that he could pitch this year.
I for one cannot wait to see Liam and his animated self on the mound and I look forward to him hopefully saving many games for the Sox this season!
many games for the Sox this season!