Liam Hendriks Nearing Return To White Sox, Avoids 60-Day IL

Despite getting diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in the offseason, White Sox closer Liam Hendriks will not be placed on the 60-day IL.

When Liam Hendriks announced that he had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in January, the chances of seeing him on the mound in 2023 seemed slim. Earlier in the offseason, Hendriks told teammates he felt he could be ready as soon as May. At the time, it seems overly ambitious. Now, his dream could become a reality. 

Teams can place a player on the 60-day IL and not have it count against their roster. The fact the White Sox opted not to place Hendriks on the 60-day IL means they believe he can return to the mound before the end of May. Otherwise, he likely would have landed there. 

On Wednesday, Rick Hahn met with reporters, saying that Hendriks is responding well to treatment but cautioned that there is still no official timeline for a return date. 

“While we don’t currently have a specific timeline available to share with you on his potential return, those of you that pay close attention to our roster will notice that we have not placed him on the 60-day IL and that on purpose,” Hahn said.

Hahn also added that he hopes to have more of an idea about potential return dates near the end of April. 

For most of the offseason, Hendriks’s status remained uncertain. After releasing an initial statement in January, Hendriks and his family requested privacy, so updates were hard to come by. So this wave of positive news is music to baseball fans’ ears. 

This report comes after Lance Lynn said that Hendriks was itching to return to the mound as soon as his test came back cancer-free.

“Last time I saw Liam, to be honest, he was like, ‘this is going way better than I thought’ he looks great,” Lynn told AJ Pierzynski during an appearance on the “Foul Territory” podcast. “He’s been throwing. I want to tell you he has one more test coming up that tells us exactly what we want to know the first of April or the end of this month, But you know Liam, Liam’s like, ‘once I’m good to go, I’ll be back in games the next day.’ And I was like, Liam, calm down.”

For most of the offseason, Hendriks’s status remained uncertain. After releasing an initial statement in January, Hendriks and his family requested privacy, so updates were hard to come by. 

Hendriks has been actively throwing bullpens and participating in some camp workouts as part of a typical Spring Training build-up.

“He looks good. You know he looks strong, so that’s the number one thing, and when you see a guy like that, go through it. He’s got good spirits and looks strong,” Lynn added. “So that’s a good sight to see when he comes in the clubhouse.”

Hendriks will be entering his third season in Chicago after signing a three-year deal worth $54 million before the 2021 season. It has turned out to be one of Rick Hahn’s better signings.

In 2021 he was named the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year for the second straight season, becoming the first pitcher to earn the award in consecutive seasons. He led the American League in saves (38), strikeouts (113), WHIP (0.73), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (16.14).

In 2022 the Australian was named an All-Star for the third straight season. His ERA went up a tick in 2022 from 2.54 to 2.81, but he still managed to log 37 saves. Hendriks has consistently been one of the best relievers in baseball over the last four seasons.

The news that Hendriks is progressing this fast should come as no surprise. Given his competitive nature, cancer didn’t stand a chance.