Lucas Giolito: White Sox Looking Forward to Liam Hendriks 'Kicking Cancer's Ass'

Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks will be out of the lineup for the foreseeable future after revealing in January he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and the whole team is behind him as he continues to undergo treatment.

"We're looking forward to him kicking cancer's ass and coming back to close games for us," pitcher Lucas Giolito said, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

Giolito added about learning of Hendriks' cancer diagnosis:

"It was pretty devastating. I'm not going to lie. Liam is absolutely a massive part of our team and our family. To see him dealing with sickness like that broke my heart, but I will say he's absolutely killing it right now with his treatments."

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn provided an update on Hendriks' status earlier this week, saying that the team isn't expecting any information about when he might return to the mound until Opening Day.

"He's in very good spirits. He continues to progress with his treatment," Hahn said. "However, as we mentioned at the time when his diagnosis was revealed publicly, we still don't expect to have any update on his availability or plan for the season until closer to Opening Day."

With Hendriks sidelined to open the season, White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz said he's "going to be creative" in replacing the veteran closer. Kendall Graveman, who has closing experience, could be in line to fill Hendriks' role.

Still, it's going to be extremely difficult for any player to replicate the success Hendriks has found over the last several seasons.

Hendriks earned back-to-back All-Star Game selections in 2021 and 2022 after posting a 2.66 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 198 strikeouts in 128.2 innings across 127 games. He also posted 75 saves in that span.

When he eventually does return to the lineup, Hendriks will be a significant boost to a Chicago bullpen that also includes Joe Kelly, Reynaldo López, Aaron Bummer and Garrett Crochet.

The White Sox open the regular season on March 30 against the Houston Astros and have their home opener against the San Francisco Giants on April 3.