CHICAGO -- Jose Quintana will start Sunday for the White Sox against the Twins, keeping the team's ace on regular rest. That move means fifth starter Dylan Covey probably won't pitch until April 14 or 15 in Minnesota.
Covey -- the No. 27 White Sox prospect per MLBPipeline.com -- threw six innings in Arizona on Sunday and threw a side session in the cage at Guaranteed Rate Field on Wednesday after the game was postponed. He needs to throw again either this Saturday or Sunday, per pitching coach Don Cooper, and Covey could work in a simulated game or be sent to Arizona to pitch in extended spring action to stay sharp.
"We got his work in," said Cooper of Covey, who is up to 75 pitches.
"We'll continue to adjust his schedule and see what we can do with him in order to get him up and down at least four or five times, six times," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "Get him comfortable to be able to go out for multiple innings."
Tough for Cooper to watch Sale
Cooper watched Chris Sale during his debut appearance for the Red Sox in Boston's walk-off victory over the Pirates on Wednesday night at Fenway Park. And seeing the one-time White Sox ace working somewhere else wasn't the easiest experience for the White Sox pitching coach.
"He's still good," said Cooper of the talented southpaw who pitched seven years for the White Sox and was a five-time American League All-Star. "It actually was a little difficult to watch."
Sale was traded to Boston in exchange for a four-player talent package including infielder Yoan Moncada, who is the No. 2 prospect overall per MLBPipeline.com, and right-handed hurler Michael Kopech, who checks in at No. 15 overall. The move marked the start of a White Sox rebuild.
But it wasn't Sale's success Wednesday, striking out seven over seven scoreless, which made it tough for Cooper.
"It wouldn't be easier to watch if he was getting whacked. I'm not pulling for that for him," Cooper said. "I'm pulling for him to do well.
"What's hard to watch is him doing it in a Boston uniform. It happens. It happened before with other guys, but this is the first time I've actually seen it in a game. You know, it was just hard to watch."
Pelfrey joins organization
Mike Pelfrey, who was released by the Tigers at the end of Spring Training, agreed on a Minor League deal with the White Sox. The right-hander joins the Triple-A Charlotte rotation as starting-pitching depth, after posting a 5.07 ERA over 24 games and 22 starts in 2016.
"I saw him with the Twins. I saw him with the Tigers, and there are some things that I saw that were interesting," Cooper said. "But I haven't had a chance to talk with anybody else on that yet."
White Sox pay respects to Sievers
Roy Sievers, who won the first AL Rookie of the Year Award in 1949, passed away Monday at the age of 90. Sievers played with the White Sox in 1960-61, combining to hit .295 with 55 home runs, 185 RBIs and 163 runs scored in 268 games.