Ricky Speaks: It's good to be back

Watching as a fan was sort of exciting for the manager, but he's re-installed in the saddle now

You gotta figure White Sox manager Ricky Renteria couldn't have timed his return from a family funeral better than to be welcomed back to the field on the same day as prized hot corner standout Yoán Moncada.

But while the happy jefe rounded himself back into managerial shape by the first cracks of the bat on Thursday, Moncada may take a little while longer.

"Moncada took some BP and ground balls," Ricky says. "We'll have a better idea of where he’s at in a few days. From the left side taking swings he looked like he hadn’t skipped a beat, on ground balls he was a little rusty ... We’re excited to have him back."

When I asked whether he had any misgivings leaving the team, whether from a health or a leadership standpoint, Renteria shook me off, noting that the experience of being away from the team "was weird" but that his family "was very appreciative." And from the sounds of it, Ricky addressed the team and used his absence as a reminder of the importance of family.

Later, Ricky shared a cute moment in describing to me what it was like being away from the team. Part of it was "calls and texts with Joe [McEwing, manager in Ricky's absence]." But Renteria also got to relive being a fan in a sense, watching intrasquads on the MyTeams app: "I could hear the boys calling the game, was able to watch what I could. In watching it as both manager and fan, I was pretty excited to hear the crack of the bat and see those guys moving around. People are going to be able to enjoy the action even though they’re not at the park. Maybe we can give them a little distraction during this time."

For the rest of Ricky's fun return media session, courtesy of the White Sox, watch below: