It took Liam Hendriks about six months to recover from a severe form of cancer when he returned to the Chicago White Sox.
The White Sox announced Sunday that Hendriks would be activated on Monday after spending the first two months of the season on the injured reserve battling stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Hendriks, who first announced his diagnosis in early January, himself confirmed the news with an Instagram post showing the big date.
The White Sox welcomed the moment with a montage featuring Hendriks’ teammates and coaches welcoming him to the team.
Hendriks completed chemotherapy on April 5 and announced he was officially in remission two weeks later. It took another few weeks for the White Sox to send him to rehab, putting him back in action on May 3.
In six games with Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte, Hendriks allowed six earned runs in five innings while striking out five and walking one. After the rehab stint ended, Hendriks held three live batting practices with the White Sox, according to MLB.com.
Hendriks’ return will be good news for a team currently sitting 22-33 and fourth in the AL Central. The Chicago bullpen currently holds the fifth-highest ERA in MLB at 4.87 while throwing the fourth-most innings. No team player has more than four saves.
Hendriks, a three-time All-Star and two-time AL Reliever of the Year, is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.81 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings, with 37 saves in 41 occasions. He led the AL in saves in 2021, with 38.