White Sox Won't Rush Quentin Back

By Scott Merkin / MLB.com

05/26/09 10:50 PM ET

ANAHEIM -- Carlos Quentin is the type of player who never wants to leave the lineup, doing whatever he possibly can to keep himself in play.

Over the past couple of weeks, that particular desire pushed the White Sox All-Star left fielder to play through pain in his left foot. But the team now has come to a point where a trip to the disabled list might be the best solution involved for the intensely driven Quentin.

"If we need to put him on the disabled list, we will do it," said White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen prior to Tuesday's game at Angel Stadium. "We will need him in the stretch, but we have to wait to see what happens.

"He might try to play through soreness or pain just to be on the field. That don't work because the more pain you have, the more days you are going to lose."

Quentin basically has lost the remainder of the White Sox six-game road trip due to a recurrence of the injury on Monday night. Quentin launched a double to center during the three-run first in the team's 17-3 victory, but he pulled up lame as he made the turn at first. Quentin said that he felt a pop and was quickly replaced at second by Brian Anderson.

Anderson, who knocked out three hits in place of Quentin on Monday, was back in center on Tuesday, with Scott Podsednik playing left field. Quentin was sent back to Chicago to be examined by White Sox team doctors, including podiatrist Lowell Scott Weil.

The plan is for Quentin to rejoin the team in Chicago on Monday, when the White Sox begin June with a 12-game homestand, including five against first-place Detroit. At that point, Guillen plans to sit with Quentin and general manager Ken Williams to discuss if Quentin's bout with planter fasciitis has improved enough for him to retake his starting post or if he will be inactive for another week to 10 days on the DL.

"After Monday, we want him to say where he is and then we make the decisions," Guillen said. "How bad is it? It's too early to say how he's going to be or how he's going to react. I think Carlos was playing without being ready. That's my thought. He no was ready and just wanted to be on the field and it got a little bit worse. I have to sit down with him and Kenny and make sure he's honest with us. We don't need a hero."

Guillen added that Quentin was walking a little better on Tuesday than White Sox athletic trainer Herm Schneider thought he would. Quentin, who missed a game on May 12 and was out from May 16-20 with the same injury, is hitting .229 with eight home runs and 20 RBIs. But seven of those long balls came during the white Sox first 12 games.

Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.