White Sox' Aaron Bummer Cutting it Close with Late Spring Training Debut

The sidearming southpaw is set to appear in his first Cactus League game with Opening Day now under a week away.

With All-Star closer Liam Hendriks sidelined to begin the 2023 season, the Chicago White Sox will trudge forward with a committee of arms to cover high-leverage situations. Aaron Bummer is among the pitchers expected to contribute in that department, but the lanky southpaw has yet to ramp up in game action this spring.

Coming off a 2022 season that was disrupted by a pesky lat injury, Bummer entered camp still managing a bit of discomfort. The 29-year-old wasn't too concerned about the issue at the beginning of Spring Training, insisting that his buildup was in a good place.

"We realized we do have a full camp. We have six weeks," Bummer told Scott Merkin of MLB.com on Feb. 28. "So let's be a little bit more cognizant and be smart instead of really just pushing some things. We took a couple of days at the beginning of camp, and now we are right back on track to where we need to be moving forward."

Three and a half weeks after those comments, Bummer is slated to make his Cactus League debut Friday when the White Sox host the Oakland A's at Camelback Ranch.