Dayan Viciedo left today’s game after being hit on the hand by a pitch and the White Sox just announced that he’s expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a fractured right thumb.
It’s unfortunate timing for Viciedo, as he was seeing action in right field this spring after previously being exclusively a third baseman and first baseman in the minors, but he was unlikely to crack the Opening Day roster anyway.
Today’s injury simply guarantees that he’ll open the season at Triple-A, where he can get more reps in the outfield and work on adding a little plate discipline to his impressive power offensively.
Once healthy he’ll be first in line for a call-up should injuries sideline Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn, Carlos Quentin, Juan Pierre, or Brent Morel, and if he impresses at Triple-A the White Sox may even look to clear room for him by dealing Quentin at some point.