Dunn taking swings again, but Guillen still cautious
By Toni Ginnetti tginnetti@suntimes.com April 9, 2011 10:30PM
Updated: September 24, 2012 6:25AM
Designated hitter Adam Dunn took swings Saturday for the first time since having an emergency appendectomy Wednesday, a positive sign for a player who hopes to return to the lineup quickly.
‘‘I’ve been saying five days since [Wednesday], so I’m consistent,’’ Dunn said.
Manager Ozzie Guillen still isn’t setting a timetable, though.
‘‘I talked to [trainer] Herm [Schneider],’’ Guillen said. ‘‘The progress is slow but steady. He’s swinging at 50 percent. There’s no timetable. I don’t think it’s fair for us to say, ‘This is the timetable.’ It’s up to him. He’s swinging the bat, and that’s good news. I don’t expect him to miss that many games.
‘‘We have a long homestand [10 games]. He wants to play, and we have to be careful with that. I think he’ll play before [next] weekend.’’
Dunn said he felt markedly better Saturday than he did Friday, which he said was his worst day since the surgery.
‘‘I woke up [Saturday] laying on my side, which is how I sleep, and I hadn’t been able to do that,’’ Dunn said. ‘‘I thought, ‘Hey, we have some action going.’ So I came in and did some flip [swings] and felt OK, which means [today] will be great.’’
With Dunn sidelined, Guillen has used Mark Teahen, Juan Pierre and Carlos Quentin as the designated hitter.
‘‘We’re swinging the bat pretty good . . . and Carlos, [Alex] Rios and PK [Paul Konerko] are picking their spots and turning it up a notch,’’ Guillen said. ‘‘The way we’re swinging, we don’t need to rush [Dunn].’’
The Sox are hitting .311 as a team.
‘‘We have depth,’’ catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. ‘‘One through nine, everyone can hurt you. Everyone can do it. It’s great to know you don’t have to put pressure on yourself.’’
