Cactus League report: Kyle Hendricks checks another box in his rehab — and the White Sox begin to trim their roster

The Chicago Cubs defense Monday won’t be going on any highlight reels.

The Cubs overcame three errors in a 6-2 win against the Seattle Mariners in Peoria, Ariz. Eric Hosmer, Christopher Morel and Edwin Ríos each drove in a run, and Rowan Wick struck out two of the three batters he faced.

The White Sox had their first day off on the Cactus League schedule.

Chicago Tribune baseball writers LaMond Pope, Meghan Montemurro and Paul Sullivan will be providing Cubs and White Sox updates throughout spring training.

Next step in Kyle Hendricks’ progression

Check off a normal bullpen session for right-hander Kyle Hendricks.

After three touch-and-feel sessions, the Cubs upgraded Hendricks to a full bullpen while still slightly limiting his arsenal. He threw 25 pitches Monday at full effort, only fastballs and changeups. He is expected to start incorporating curveballs as soon as Friday.

The plan is for Hendricks to throw two bullpens each week, likely every Monday and Friday. He will need roughly 10 more bullpens before moving on to live batting practice. If everything continues to go smoothly from there, rehab starts would follow.

Hendricks did not sound optimistic about pitching in a Cactus League game before the team breaks camp, and there remains no timetable for his return. Given the steps ahead and the time off between bullpens as he escalates through his throwing progression, a May return to the rotation might be the best-case scenario, while early June could be more realistic. The Cubs will continue to be deliberate in how Hendricks builds up.

Regardless of when Hendricks is back in a big-league game, he was thrilled by how his shoulder felt after Monday’s bullpen.

“I feel great about it,” he said. “With the whole plan I’ve been right on schedule every day and really not many sore days. After some big volume days maybe a little soreness, but nothing like it was in the last year. No pain, nothing on that front. It’s such a good feeling.”

Roster moves begin for Sox

The Sox will return Tuesday from their day off with a slightly smaller roster in big-league camp after announcing six moves following Sunday’s game.

They optioned pitcher Jonathan Stiever to Triple-A Charlotte and reassigned pitchers Sean Burke and Matt Thompson, outfielder Luis Mieses, shortstop Colson Montgomery and catcher Evan Skoug to minor-league camp.

Montgomery, the top prospect in the organization according to MLB.com, appeared in three Cactus League games and went 0-for-3 with two walks and one run. Burke, the Sox’s No. 5 prospect according to MLB.com, went 1-0 with two hitless innings in one start.

With Sunday’s moves, the Sox have 60 players in camp: 31 pitchers, five catchers, 15 infielders and nine outfielders.

Hayden Wesneski finds success without best stuff

Navigating a big-league start when your stuff isn’t the best is something every young starter must learn how to do.

It was only a Cactus League start, but Hayden Wesneski worked through what he called an “OK” outing Monday against the Mariners. Wesneski allowed one unearned run and four hits in 2⅔ innings. He walked one and struck out four in the Cubs win.

“I didn’t fill it up as much as I wanted to and I didn’t have everything,” Wesneski said. “But sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t.”

Wesneski was tested by a lefty-loaded Mariners lineup with four left-handed batters and two switch hitters. He posted reverse splits in his six games (four starts) with the Cubs last year, holding left-handed hitters to a .159 average and .192 on-base percentage, striking out 11 and walking one.

Monday’s start also was the first time Wesneski worked with catcher Tucker Barnhart in a game.

“We’re getting on the same page a little bit,” Wesneski said. “After the second inning we talked through some stuff and we’re still trying to figure out each other, and that was a large focus of mine today as well.”

Grifols welcome chance to give back

Sox manager Pedro Grifol and his wife, Ali, welcomed 20 students and coaches from West Point High School in Avondale, Ariz., to Camelback Ranch on Friday. The group included nine softball players, nine baseball players and two coaches.

The students — seniors with the highest GPAs — toured the facility and back fields and spoke to staff members about career opportunities in sports.

”Anytime we can give a group of kids an experience like this, it’s great,” Pedro Grifol said Sunday. “Those are moments they cherish forever that they’ll never forget, and we’re here to serve others and make others feel good and happy.

”That’s what this is about. This is not just all business. Anytime we can make somebody happy, I’m all in on that.”

Up next

• White Sox vs. Brewers, 2:05 p.m., NBCSCH
• Cubs at Rangers, 2:05 p.m., Marquee

What we’re reading this morning

• When will former top prospect Brailyn Marquez get back on a mound for the Cubs?
• New pitch-clock rules remain a chore for the Cubs and White Sox one week into Cactus League games
• Bound by basketball, friendship and grief: Simeon’s terrific 2013 state championship team, a decade later
• Column: The only sure thing in this week’s Big Ten Tournament at the United Center is unpredictability
• Are any QBs worth trading up for the Chicago Bears’ No. 1 pick? Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts from the NFL combine.

Quotable

“I need to work on PFPs (pitchers fielding practice) again. Gah, I’m so upset I messed that up. Other than that, you try to take away the good and the bad and digest it. Every time I go look at stuff like that, usually the good is worse than I think it is and the bad is usually better than I think it is.” — Hayden Wesneski on his throwing error that led to an unearned run in the third inning Monday

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