Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa will remain away from the club indefinitely while dealing with an unspecified medical issue, the team announced Saturday. La Russa has been cleared to travel to Oakland to participate in Dave Stewart's jersey retirement ceremony on Sunday, however.
Bench coach Miguel Cairo has served as acting manager during La Russa's absence and the White Sox are surging, winning eight of 11 games under Cairo. Chicago enters Saturday with a 71-68 record. They are 1 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central, the closest they've been to first place since Aug. 16.
La Russa has received criticism for Chicago's generally disappointing season, though there are no indications a managerial change is on the horizon. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf brought La Russa back to the organization prior to last season and essentially handpicked him for the job.
La Russa, 77, is 164-137 (.545) in his second stint as White Sox manager. He also managed the club from 1979-86 before moving on to the Oakland Athletics (1986-95) and St. Louis Cardinals (1996-2011). La Russa won the 1989 World Series with the A's and managed Stewart during his run of dominance from 1987-90.
