Danks encouraged by bullpen session
On the same night that Chicago White Sox rookie Jose Quintana took a bit of a step back in a no-decision, veteran lefty starter John Danks took a big leap forward in his recovery from a left shoulder strain that has sidelined him since late May.
Danks, who was the Opening Day starter for the White Sox and supposed to be the new face of the staff, threw 20 pitches off the mound hours before the Sox came back to beat the Minnesota Twins 11-4 at U.S. Cellular Field on Tuesday night. The southpaw also threw off of flat ground from 130 feet, calling the progress a "big step" in getting him back in the rotation by late August.
"(Getting) on a mound was something I hadn't done in quite a while. All in all, I'd say it was a good day," Danks said. "Am I ready to go pitch somewhere? No. This is a necessary step. And hopefully (Wednesday) it bounces back and that will tell us what we need to know."
While pitching coach Don Cooper said last month that Danks "wasn't on his radar" while he was on the shelf, even Cooper acknowledged it as a key day in getting the rotation back in full.
"He wasn't coming out of his shoes or anything like that but, again, for us to do what we did (Tuesday), it's definitely a step," Cooper said.
If all is well Wednesday, Danks would throw several more bullpen sessions before then beginning a rehab assignment.
"I hope late August, but this is uncharted territory for me. I've never dealt with a shoulder injury, so I can't give you a straight answer," Danks said of a timetable for his return. "But certainly, that's the hope. Get back in time for the stretch run and hopefully be strong enough and help push us into the playoffs."
Big picture for general manager Ken Williams is Danks' progress likely eliminates his pursuit of a starting pitcher before the trade deadline.
"Hopefully we can get him on the mound for a few side days heading into August and give him a little bit of a spring-training-type regimen and get him back sometime at the end of August," Williams said. "If we are in it at that point -- and we definitely expect to be -- then we've got a guy who is going who will be fresh and impactful in his own right."
As for Quintana, he allowed four runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings Tuesday.
