Beckham out for series, eyes Friday to swing bat

WASHINGTON -- The ice pack fastened to Gordon Beckham's left wrist Wednesday looked more like a wrap featured on an NFL defensive lineman getting ready for a Sunday in the trenches than one for a second baseman.

But it's all part of the healing process for Beckham, who suffered nerve irritation in his left wrist while swinging at a 2-1 pitch from Gio Gonzalez during the second inning of Tuesday's 8-7 loss. Beckham will not play in the remainder of the series against the Nationals and won't even pick up a bat until Friday.

"I actually woke up this morning, and it didn't feel much better," Beckham said. "Obviously we're taking anti-inflammatories and doing a lot of work in there. It feels better since I woke up, but I think tomorrow will be the big test.

"If I wake up, and it feels better, I think it'll be fine. If not, we'll probably have to do an MRI or something. I'm actually happy about the way I've felt since I've gotten to the field and done some work to it. That's a positive thing, and hopefully tomorrow it'll be that much better, and then best-case scenario is probably Friday, I hope, but I don't know how it's going to respond."

Beckham was quick to explain that despite feeling better since the morning, he still couldn't swing. He's going through a lot of hot-and-cold contrast treatment and getting worked on by every contraption White Sox head athletic trainer Herm Schneider has at his disposal.

Manager Robin Ventura thought Beckham might be available to run or bunt, but stressed that he wouldn't be swinging a bat. In the interim, Ventura intends to use a mix of Conor Gillaspie, Angel Sanchez and Jeff Keppinger between second and third.

Continued wrist soreness, which rolls from a dull ache to a sharp pain depending on how Beckham moves it, could lead to a disabled list stint.

"You'd think [about it] because you have to prepare for it," Ventura said of a potential trip to DL for Beckham. "We'll probably know by tomorrow. You kind of prepare for it, but you hope it doesn't happen."

"I'd like to be back on the field as soon as possible. But I don't want to rush this and make it a worse thing for the entire season," Beckham said. "As much as I want to get back out there, that's the smarter play and that's probably what we'll end up doing is be a little bit more cautious than we would be at the end of the season."