White Sox banking on spark from Grifol to give them jolt

By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox say they have hired Kansas City Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol to replace Hall of Famer Tony La Russa as their manager. The White Sox announced the move Thursday after Grifol agreed to take the job earlier in the week. General manager Rick Hahn mentioned in a statement the 52-year-old Grifol’s experience in a variety of coaching and scouting roles at the major and minor league levels. He also cited the fact that Grifol is bilingual and called him a “modern baseball thinker.” The White Sox finished second in the AL Central at 81-81 in 2022 and missed the playoffs after running away with the division in 2021.