White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz on Liam Hendriks: ‘The guy is unbelievable’

White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz got choked up talking about closer Liam Hendriks Saturday.

“It’s amazing. It brought a lot of joy to be able to see him,” Katz said of Hendriks, who is undergoing treatment for cancer but is checking in regularly at the Sox spring training complex almost daily. “He’s a special person, and having him around is great.”

Hendriks threw a bullpen on Friday, Katz said.

“This guy’s unbelievable. He really is,” Katz said. “He’ll be back on the field as soon as he can.”

In the meantime, the Sox will open the season using multiple ninth-inning options.

“We’ll figure it out as it goes,” Katz said. “We’ve got a long time to kind of piece this together. You can’t replace him. But we’re going to be creative, match up as best we can, and we have a lot of good options down there. So we’ll figure it out.”

*The Sox will televise six Cactus League games on NBC Sports Chicago, including the opener Feb. 25 vs. San Diego from Camelback Ranch (2:05 p.m. CST) and home game vs. Cubs Feb. 17.

ESPN Radio Chicago (AM-1000) will air 10 Cactus League games, beginning with the opener.

*Also on Feb. 17, former Sox organist Nancy Faust will play organ at Camelback Ranch.

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