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The baseball world was shocked at the turn of the new year when Liam Hendriks announced he had stage four Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in early January. Just a few days later, Hendriks began chemotherapy for his cancer. The White Sox ruled out their star closer for the 2023 season to give him time to recover.
But Liam Hendriks announced in April that he had entered cancer remission. The White Sox assigned their closer to a rehab assignment on April 28, and Hendriks has since been ramping up in the minors for his eventual return to the MLB.
When will Hendriks return to a major league mound? Let's take a look at the latest reports and find an answer.
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Liam Hendriks Injury Update
On January 8, Liam Hendriks announced in an Instagram post that he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The three-time All-Star was initially expected to be out for the year, but in a podcast interview, teammate Lance Lynn gave an update saying that Hendriks was recovering well and could be back by June of this year.
Hendriks returned to Instagram on April 5 to update that he completed his final round of treatment. And on April 20, he announced that he had officially entered remission and was now cancer-free.
The 34-year-old had maintained conditioning throughout his recovery, even being seen throwing long-toss during Spring training. He was assigned by the White Sox to an extended Spring training game in Arizona on April 28, striking out four. The veteran was assigned to Triple-A Charlotte on May 5, pitching a scoreless inning in his first appearance.
He has made three appearances since. The White Sox are re-evaluating Hendriks after Sunday's appearance, where he struck out the only batter he faced. He can possibly return after his last rehab outing this Wednesday, but that date can be pushed back if they believe he isn't ready.
Liam Hendriks Fantasy Baseball Outlook
The Australian native has been one of the best closers in the game over the past four years. In 2022, Hendriks racked up 37 saves with a SIERA of 2.14 in 58 appearances. He is expected to return as the closer, warranting rostering in all league formats for saves.
In his absence, the White Sox opted for a committee approach at closer. Reynaldo Lopez leads the team in saves with four, but he has also blown four saves this season. Kendall Graveman took the closer role in early May, picking up two saves this season. Keynan Middleton picked up one save this season in a win over the Minnesota Twins earlier this month.
While the White Sox are struggling on all fronts to start the season, Liam Hendriks should bring some stability to the backend of their bullpen. Expect a slight boost for White Sox starters, as they stand to pick up more wins with a shutdown closer like Hendriks back in the mix.
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