Abreu's turnaround spurred by a teammate

CHICAGO -- The turnaround for White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu after hitting .174 through April 18 came with a little help from a friend.

Abreu received advice from catcher Welington Castillo, which contributed to 20 RBIs over the last 10 games following Wednesday's doubleheader split with Baltimore. The slugger is on a 21-for-44 run during that stretch.

“He pointed out a few things I was doing wrong that I didn’t notice,” said Abreu through interpreter Billy Russo. “From that time on, I’m working to correct those things, and the offense has been there. I’m always glad to have the support of my teammates.

“It’s not a secret. It was just like, 'Be more patient at home plate and try to be more aware of the space and the location of home plate.' Sometimes we, as players, we lose track or our mind is off. We don’t find a place in space. It’s good when you have one of your teammates to tell you that, because he saw it and he told me right away.”

Like most accomplished hitters, which Abreu has proven to be over his six years with the team, he did not stray from his everyday work or approach when things were going bad.

“The key is just take two steps back [and] regroup,” Abreu said. “Think about the things that you have done, and from that point on, just keep moving forward. I’m glad to God. The people he has put around me, my family -- it’s very important. That’s what this is about. We are a team. I’m glad to have people around me who have my back and [are] always supporting me.”

Anderson figures to be April’s best
Voting for American League Player of the Month for April took place on Wednesday, and Tim Anderson figures to be the front-runner for that award.

The White Sox shortstop entered Wednesday with an American League best .375 average to go with six home runs, 18 RBIs and 21 runs scored. He tops the Major Leagues with 10 stolen bases in 10 attempts, but he has not let the increased scrutiny get to him.

“My life's been amazing before that, so nothing's changed. I'm still living my best life. I'm the same person. Nothing's changed,” Anderson said. “I'm going to keep going and taking it day by day. I don't want to put anything on it, but I'm going to keep having fun and not worry about those numbers or the Player of the Month. That's small stuff. I've got bigger goals than that.”

Anderson admitted that he’s trying to convert people who think baseball is “boring."

“You try to do something to make these fans want to come back and make these kids want to come back to the ballpark,” Anderson said. “Yeah, I'm going to do whatever it takes to draw these fans to the South Side. I'm going to do something different every day. Whatever it is, it don't matter.”

Robert ready for the big leagues?
Luis Robert, the No. 37 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline, has the talent to compete at the Major League level. But even with his promotion to Double-A Birmingham on Wednesday, the 21-year-old still might not get that big league jump in 2019.

“We've got to allow him to continue to settle in. It's May 1,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “He's going to the next level, that's the next phase. Let him get through that and let the process continue to play itself out.

“They'll let us know when they're ready and then we have to make a good, sound decision as to when they arrive here. There's a lot more to it. There are a lot of little nuances of playing the game that he has to experience.”

Giolito targeted for Thursday return
Lucas Giolito, on the 10-day injured list since April 18 with a left hamstring strain, should return to the White Sox rotation for Thursday’s series opener against the Red Sox. Giolito threw a 50-pitch bullpen Monday, but the White Sox will not officially commit until postgame on Wednesday.

Renteria also indicated Sunday could be a bullpen day for his team, with both Carlos Rodón and Iván Nova working Wednesday.