White Sox manager Rick Renteria shows the shin guard Jose Abreu must wear “if he wants to stay in the lineup.” (Phil Thompson/Chicago Tribune)
Jose Abreu’s shin guard — and by extension, the bruised left ankle it protects — apparently is so precious to White Sox manager Rick Renteria that he had it on his desk, within arm’s reach, when he talked to reporters before Wednesday’s game against the Reds.
There it was in black and white, “79,” Abreu’s number, etched in marker.
The manager’s edict about its usage also is black and white, particularly with Abreu returning to the starting lineup Wednesday after a one-game “break” that included a pinch-hit appearance in the 11th inning Tuesday.