CHICAGO -- Dallas Keuchel didn’t sign with the Braves until June 8, 2019, as he waited for the right deal during an unexpectedly extended free-agent process.
Keuchel's free-agent journey was nowhere near as long this past offseason, as the left-handed starter joined the White Sox on a three-year, $55.5 million deal on Dec. 30, 2019. But the veteran is again going through summer workouts to get ready, participating in Summer Camp at Guaranteed Rate Field after the start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It has been a weird two straight seasons, but one thing I learned from last year was the fact of trying to stay on some sort of five-day routine, just because as a starting pitcher, I feel like I’m very routine-oriented,” Keuchel said during a Saturday evening Zoom call. “Now obviously, I wasn’t throwing six or seven innings like I was throwing last year up until June when I signed. I kind of hovered at two, three innings.
"I knew we would have a two- or three-week Spring Training, and sure enough, we have about three weeks. At this point, it’s about starting just one start at a time.”
Keuchel was slotted in as the White Sox No. 2 starter behind Lucas Giolito in March. With a 60-game regular season on the horizon, Keuchel is figuring to see more postseason-type matchups in which a starter goes five or six innings before the game is turned over to the bullpen.
“So, I knew if I could get myself to five or six innings at the end of Spring Training here, I’ll be right where I want to be,” Keuchel said. “It’s just how long of quality [in a start] can you last? And I think that’s where some of the teams are going to separate themselves early. Hopefully, we’re one of the teams that separates ourselves in the best direction.”
White Sox react to Braves’ positive COVID-19 tests
First baseman Freddie Freeman was among four Braves players who tested positive for COVID-19. Freeman, who was battling symptoms of the coronavirus, was Keuchel’s teammate in Atlanta last season.
“He's the ultimate competitor and professional,” Keuchel said of Freeman. “Sometimes, it's going to be tough to really locate, if you test positive, where you got it from, because even when you're getting food delivery at home, the Uber driver or whoever, the restaurant driver, could have it as well.
“As much as you limit contact with people and social distance and this and that, it is what it is. I think about it every day. As much as I love baseball, when you have so many guys, it's going to be tough to keep everything in check and in line.”
Keuchel has not gone out to eat during the pandemic, relying on Uber Eats and other delivery apps. But the virus remains in the back of his mind.
“I think it should be in the back of everybody's mind,” Keuchel said. “At some point, we've got to live, and I don't know when that point's going to be. I'm trying to fear less than before.”
“The protocol is to try to mitigate, obviously, infection. It'd be truly foolish for me to say that it won't happen, but we're going to try and help it not happen,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “In terms of the news, it's discouraging, but we've got to continue to move forward. I'm hoping that those guys are healthy and recover well, but we're going to continue to measure what we do and use the protocol in place to try to mitigate it.”
Getting game ready
Renteria is planning for his team's first intrasquad game to take place Thursday, with Wednesday being a pivotal day as both morning and afternoon practice squads will be brought together for workouts. Pitchers will continue to be stretched out prior to that, with Giolito expected to get up and down at least three times in a simulated game on Sunday.
There appears to be general satisfaction with the physical conditions shown by White Sox players entering the start of Summer Camp.
“For the most part, yes. There will be a couple of guys that will need to push themselves a little bit more, but in general, we’re OK,” Renteria said. “Guys have been keeping on top of their game, doing things that are necessary.
“Everybody has to understand that, again, when you’re working out on your own, it’s one thing. When you join your club, your squad, your organization, to start workouts, there’s a little bit of an intensity level that rises when you’re doing your work, which in turn stresses the body a little bit more, which then creates a little bit of the soreness that you end up evolving to have.
“Watching them do some of the drills [Saturday], some of the running, explosive work that they were doing, they are all looking, right now, very, very good. We’re hoping we can continue the progression that we have, and I feel confident that these guys are going to be ready to go when the bell rings.”
Quotable
“One of the keys is obviously performing on the field. We're going to have to win ballgames. But now more so than ever, we're going to have to be really stringent on what guys do when the lights turn off and we leave the field. We're going to have to really bear down for at least 2 1/2 months, if not a full three months, if we want to win the championship and hoist the trophy.” -- Keuchel, on the upcoming season