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Gordon Beckham is getting even closer to a return which will leave Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura with a decision to make.

Beckham, who fractured the hamate bone in his left hand on April 9 and had subsequent surgery, is slated to start a rehab assignment at Triple-A Charlotte by the end of the week. He figures to be back to Chicago at some point during the next homestand which begins Monday and runs through May 28.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura gathered his team for a pregame heart-to-heart Saturday, not that his prospecting turned up any gold.

Ventura called a meeting in an effort to pull better play from his disappointing team. The White Sox then went out to lose a sloppy 3-2 decision to the Los Angeles Angels, one of the few teams in the American League with a worse winning percentage than theirs.

“It’s just at a point where I needed to say some stuff, and I did,” said Ventura, who didn’t care to reveal anything more about the gathering.

Injuries, horrendous defense and a sputtering offense have conspired to drop the White Sox into last place in the AL Central with a 14-20 record. The defeat to the 14-22 Angels, which included three errors and a passed ball, gave Chicago five losses over its past seven games.

White Sox captain Paul Konerko was a little more forthcoming about the rare team meeting and noted that Ventura was composed.

“It wasn't like [he jumped] us like crazy, but it also wasn't the old upbeat positive one,” Konerko said. “It was probably somewhere in the middle.

“Sometimes [after] meetings like that, it doesn't come out right away; it takes a few days,” he said. “It's kind of a delayed effect.”

The White Sox need it to take hold now, as they are in a stretch in which they play just three of 18 games at home to start the month of May.

Their issues have created a domino effect in which one thing seems to have an influence on another. Not only have injuries taken their toll on defensive and offensive consistency, but the lack of runs has made the poor play in the field look even worse.

Left fielder Dayan Viciedo just returned from his DL stint because of an oblique injury to deliver three hits Saturday. Second baseman Gordon Beckham said he could be a week away from a rehab assignment after breaking a bone in his left hand on the first road trip of the season.

“You know, everybody's working,” Konerko said. “It's a tough thing sometimes. This year it's been the mistakes we make, the hits we don't get. It's coming from a place of trying too hard.

“We have some good older players in here,” he said. “If we weren't going about it right, there would be issues there. It's just not the case. It's coming from a place of wanting to do so good.

“We've just got to figure out a way to find that happy spot where we're not trying too hard.”

The White Sox still have time to turn things around, especially during the current portion of the schedule. Of their next 12 series, 11 of them are against teams hovering around .500 or worse, with the Twins, Marlins, Cubs, Athletics, Mariners, Blue Jays and Astros all on the horizon.

“You know there are no guarantees, but this stuff happens,” Konerko said. “You hope like hell it’s not you or your team. But you know what, it’s our team so far this year. We have to realize that, and sometimes when you admit it and say, ‘Yeah, we’re that team right now,’ maybe it turns after that, instead of trying to fight it and deny it. I don’t know.

“I feel if we just keep going at it the right way, it’s going to [end],” he said. “You’ve got to believe that.”

CHICAGO -- Gordon Beckham swung a bat for a second consecutive day Saturday and sounded confident that he would be able to go on a minor league rehab assignment by next weekend.

“I should be playing in a minor league game that Monday [May 20], if not before that,” he said.

Beckham broke the hamate bone in his left hand on April 9 and had surgery a week later, with the expectation he would be out for six weeks.

If he doesn’t have a setback and heads out to play this weekend, a three- or four-day rehab assignment could get him back at exactly the six-week mark on May 21 during a home series against the Boston Red Sox.

“It's been a pretty long layoff, but at the same time I've been at pretty much every game so I've been watching the game,” Beckham said. “It's just a matter of my body reacting to a game. That's pretty much it, because my mind has been in the games that we've been playing, so it's just a matter of getting out there for a couple days and getting back into it.”

Beckham expects to graduate from hitting off a tee Monday, when he switches to underhand tosses in the batting cage. He could be taking batting practice a few days after that.

Beckham was comfortable at the plate in the early going this season and was asked if it will be hard to get that feel back again.

“I don't think so because I know the way I felt and I still feel that way,” he said. “It's just a matter of going back and getting in games. I know the way I felt and I haven't lost that feeling.”

CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham hit off a tee Friday for the first time since having surgery last month to remove the hamate bone in his left hand.

The anticipated rehab for Beckham, who injured the hand on April 9, is six weeks.

"It felt pretty good," Beckham said of his swings off a tee. "I took 100 swings and that is a lot of swings. I don't know if I would take that many swings if I was healthy. It felt good but obviously there is still some discomfort there."

Beckham hopes to be ready for a rehab assignment soon.

"There is a lot to like about the first day," he said. "We have kind of a very general time table set up. We think maybe a week and a half from now I could go out. That could be bumped up and it could be moved back."

Beckham and the team agree that four rehab games should be enough after he regains full strength in his hand.

Beckham admitted it has been difficult to watch his teammates struggle for the month he has been injured.

"It has been tough to watch it because the team has been struggling a little bit," he said. "This has given me good perspective and hopefully I come back better from it."

Beckham's replacement, Jeff Keppinger, has been in a long slump, hitting .191 with no home runs and 6 RBIs.

"You want your starters playing," Beckham said. "At the same time I don't look out here and say that second base or left field has been played badly since (Beckham and Dayan Viciedo, who had an oblique strain) have been out. I think everybody brings what they bring to the game and the guys that have filled in have done real well."

CHICAGO -- It looks like former Chicago White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker will be coming to the rescue of Gordon Beckham.

Walker doesn't have magic healing solutions for Beckham and the broken bone in his hand, nor will he be offering hitting advice, but Walker will help his former pupil to walk down the aisle this fall. When Beckham gets married in November, Walker will be one of the groomsmen.

"Gordon called me and asked me to be a groomsman and I told him that I thought 53-year-olds were too old to be doing that but he insisted so we'll be at that wedding this winter," Walker said Saturday on ESPN Chicago 1000's "Talkin' Baseball."

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CHICAGO -- While John Danks' return remains in question, Gordon Beckham said Monday that he at least has a personal timetable for getting back to the Chicago White Sox.

"If I'm not playing in the big leagues in six weeks, I'm going to be very upset, let's put it that way," said Beckham, who broke the hamate bone in his left hand April 9 and had surgery last Tuesday. "I've kind of made a mental goal that I want to be back in four.

"There are people who have done that. But I would like to be playing in four weeks and be back way before the six-week mark. But I don't know. That's just Dr. Gordon talking. He doesn't know anything what he's talking about."

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CHICAGO -- Without a ton of depth, good health was imperative for the Chicago White Sox, and so far things have gone nothing like the team hoped.

Not only does John Danks continue to recover from last summer’s shoulder surgery, but Dayan Viciedo is now on the disabled list with an oblique strain, joining fellow Opening Day starter Gordon Beckham, who fractured the hamate bone in his left hand/wrist.

In addition to that, utility man Angel Sanchez has already gone to the disabled list, along with reliever Leyson Septimo.

“I don’t remember an April where we’ve had five guys on the DL, but that’s just part of the gig and that’s where we’re at right now,” general manager Rick Hahn said. “Fortunately, nothing seems that long term. We expect all of these guys to be back in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, we’ll give some other guys opportunities.

“You’ve seen Conor Gillaspie make the most of his chance to get more regular at-bats, and here’s a chance now for guys like [Jordan] Danks, [Blake] Tekotte and Dewayne Wise to step up and play a larger role.”

While Viciedo was still trying to find his way in the early going, Beckham was off to a solid start before he was injured. Taking advantage of his spot toward the end of the White Sox’s order, Beckham was batting .316 after the first seven days, although he had yet to deliver an extra-base hit.

With Jeff Keppinger moving over to second base, Gillaspie has made the most of his opportunity at third base. He closed out the road trip on an 0-for-6 slide but was still batting .364 with a .485 slugging percentage at the start of play Saturday.

Gillaspie was acquired at the start of spring training as a nod to the club’s lack of depth. The White Sox’s system is not highly regarded by baseball publications, like Baseball America, that monitor the minor leagues.

Hahn was asked whether the injuries and a 7-9 start have tempted to tinker with the roster via trades.

“Given all the injuries, it’s been fairly easy to tinker and scratch that itch, so to speak,” Hahn said. “It certainly is a temptation to explore other options, but it’s way too soon to avert from the plan except when forced to due to injury.

“We’d rather get up to at least 6-8-week sample before you start drawing any sort of long-term conclusions, whether it be the guys who have gotten off to fantastic starts or the guys who have struggled early.”

Health issues haven’t been exclusive to the roster. Pitching coach Don Cooper missed the entire 10-game road trip with a digestive issue that required hospitalization in Washington D.C.

“It wasn’t a good road trip,” Ventura said of his club, which went 3-7 on its three-city swing. “Not only losing players, but you’re losing staff members. But again, it’s part of the game, and you just have to be able to have somebody come in and pick it up and keep going. That’s just part of baseball and being a long season and being able to make it work.”

WASHINGTON -- Chicago White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham will miss about six weeks after an MRI showed Thursday that he's got a fractured left hamate bone.

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WASHINGTON -- At this point, not much is clear regarding Gordon Beckham and his injured wrist. But here's one thing the White Sox and the infielder do know -- the next few days will give them a better look at whether Beckham can return quickly or will head for the DL.

Beckham left Tuesday's series opener in the third inning due to nerve irritation in his left wrist, an injury that happened when he swung at a 2-1 pitch from Washington starter Gio Gonzalez. A day later, Beckham said he's taken anti-inflammatories and been undergoing lots of treatment, but still doesn't know the final answer.

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WASHINGTON -- Chicago White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham immediately knew there was a problem with his left wrist after taking a swing against Washington Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez in the second inning of Tuesday night's interleague game.

Beckham finished the at-bat by striking out and was immediately removed from the game by manager Robin Ventura. Trainers ruled that Beckham has nerve irritation in his left wrist and listed him as day-to-day.

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CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox's first defeat of the season Thursday exposed some more early-season oddities.

In the 3-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals that prevented a three-game sweep, it was the bottom of the order that did all it could to get the White Sox on track to manufacturing runs instead of the team just powering its way to tally marks on the scoreboard.

No. 8 hitter Tyler Flowers reached base four times with two walks, a single and a pitch that grazed his jersey, while No. 9 hitter Gordon Beckham had four singles to match a career best for hits in a game.

Alejandro De Aza managed to drive in Flowers on one occasion with a single, but the early struggles at the top of the order continued and the White Sox were held in check by Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie and three relievers.

"It's odd you get that at the bottom of the order and you don't get much out of it," manager Robin Ventura said. "It's the pitching. Those (Royals pitchers) find a way to get out of it and that's the way it goes."

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CHICAGO – Forget about the three errors the Chicago White Sox made Wednesday, they still prefer to look at themselves as a solid defensive club.

Alexei Ramirez, Dayan Viciedo and Dewayne Wise all were charged with errors in a victory over the Kansas City Royals, with Viciedo figuring into Ramirez's miscue when he bumped into the shortstop on a popup.

"I think that obviously we proved it last year that we can be pretty good and I think we're very good again," said second baseman Gordon Beckham, who continued to show improvement on defense last season. "Obviously you make three errors in a game and it's not going to look like the best defense in the game, but I think that was kind of anomaly. That won't happen much, I know that."

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CHICAGO -- On a day when runs were hard to come by, the defense managed to steal a little of the spotlight.

The Chicago White Sox not only got a solid performance from Tyler Flowers behind the plate, Gordon Beckham made the play of the day at second base -- one that was good enough for starter Chris Sale to consider it as important as anything that happened in Monday's 1-0 win over the Kansas City Royals.

In a one-run game in the seventh inning with a Royals runner on first base, Beckham made a diving catch to his right to steal a hit away from Lorenzo Cain. One batter later, Jeff Francoeur hit a grounder to third baseman Jeff Keppinger that went for a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play.

“That’s just Gordon; he’s a maniac over there,” Sale said. “You almost come to expect that now. He’s just been so good, so solid for so long. He definitely saved the game right there. You’re looking at guys on first and second and no outs instead of a guy on first and then we ended up getting a double play after that. It ended up saving the day for us.”

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CHICAGO -- Solid pitching and just enough offense got the Chicago White Sox off on the right foot Monday with a 1-0 victory on Opening Day against the Kansas City Royals.

How it happened: Chris Sale showed that the role of staff ace fits him just fine. The left-hander, making his first Opening Day start, went 7 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing seven hits. It isn’t easy replacing a fan favorite so Tyler Flowers made it easy on himself, stepping into A.J. Pierzynski's shoes by hitting a home run. Alex Rios reached base three times and had the first hit of the season, a single in the first inning.

What it means: The pitching was supposed to lead the White Sox and after one game, anyway, the formula has come through. Sale led the way followed by Nate Jones, Matt Thornton and Addison Reed to close it out in the ninth. Despite planning it this way, the White Sox still expected more offense, but found the going tough against Royals ace James Shields.

Outside the box: The offense still needs to come around, but in the meantime Gordon Beckham's improved defense made a difference. With a runner on first base and nobody out in the seventh inning, Beckham made a diving catch up the middle on a line drive from Lorenzo Cain. He even made the play while being screened by second-base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. Instead of two runners on base and nobody out, Sale got the out from Beckham before getting Jeff Francoeur to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Off beat: Monday was just the sixth season opener in U.S. Cellular Field history and the White Sox are now 5-1 in those games. The park opened in 1991, but in the first 14 years of its existence, the White Sox played the first game on the road. They requested that the 1991 opener be played on the road to get as much time as possible to finish construction on the park, but the next 13 were by choice of the league schedule-maker.

Up next: After Tuesday’s off day, the White Sox will send Jake Peavy (11-12, 3.37 ERA in 2012) to the mound in the second game of the season Wednesday. The Royals will counter with Ervin Santana (9-13, 5.16) in the 1:10 p.m. start from U.S. Cellular Field.

With their vacancy on the infield this winter, the Chicago White Sox went out to fill multiple needs with a single player.

Enter new third baseman Jeff Keppinger, who not only takes the open infield corner position, but his ability to make contact at the plate gives the White Sox the type of No. 2 hitter they have been looking for.

Keppinger has actually been more of a utility infielder by trade and has been understandably ecstatic over the chance to have a position to call his own, not to mention the consistent at-bats that come with it.

Paul Konerko will once again man first base in what could be his last season in a White Sox uniform. It's a familiar situation for Konerko, who ended up re-signing with the club after both the 2005 and 2010 seasons when his contract expired.

But at 37 now, Konerko's return is more difficult to predict. The White Sox could go with Adam Dunn at first base next season or even move Dayan Viciedo there to open a spot in the outfield for a number of emerging prospects.

Up the middle of the infield, the White Sox have a pair of infielders that should be able to enter the Gold Glove discussion. It remains to be seen what shortstop Alexei Ramirez and second baseman Gordon Beckham do on the offensive side.

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