Tony La Russa Says He's 'Uncertain' When He'll Return to White Sox amid Medical Issue

Tony La Russa said Sunday that he's "uncertain" when he'll return to managing the Chicago White Sox amid a medical issue that has sidelined him since Aug. 30, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

La Russa, 77, has been dealing with heart-related complications and is still not cleared to manage.

La Russa received medical clearance to travel with the team to Oakland on Sunday because the A's are retiring Dave Stewart's No. 34, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com. He managed Stewart and the A's to three AL pennants and a World Series title during his tenure with the franchise from 1986 to 1995.

La Russa will travel back with the White Sox to Chicago after Sunday's series finale.

With La Russa sidelined indefinitely, the White Sox named Miguel Cairo acting manager. The team has gone 9-3 under Cairo and is firmly in the American League playoff race with a 72-68 record.

While the White Sox are 6.5 games out of a wild-card spot, they sit second in the AL Central, 1.5 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians. They'll earn an automatic playoff bid if they win the division.

According to FanGraphs, Chicago has a 34.3 percent chance to win the division and a 35.4 chance to make the playoffs.

La Russa, a Hall of Fame manager, got his first MLB managing gig with the White Sox from 1979 to 1986. He then managed the A's for 10 seasons before being hired as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, serving in the role from 1996 to 2011 and leading the team to three NL pennants and two World Series titles.

After 10 years away from managing, the White Sox hired him in 2021. The team has gone 165-137 since he was rehired.