Major League Baseball

Rios back in Toronto for 1st time with White Sox

Published Apr. 13, 2010 12:13 a.m. ET

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White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen figures outfielder Alex Rios ``couldn't play any worse'' this season than he did after joining Chicago in August.

Rios returned to Toronto on Monday, his first game there since the Blue Jays placed him on waivers in August and allowed the White Sox to claim him and the more than $60 million left on his contract, which runs through 2014.

``It was a little frustrating but it's baseball, things like that are going to happen,'' Rios said before the Blue Jays hosted the White Sox in the home opener. ``Now it's time to move on.''

Greeted by a chorus of boos when he took the field for pregame introductions on Monday, Rios gleefully slapped hands with Guillen, then turned from side to side and tipped his cap to the crowd after taking his place along the first base line.

Rios was batting .264 with 14 home runs and 62 RBIs in 108 games when Toronto let him go. He hit .199 with three homers and nine RBIs in 41 games with Chicago.

Guillen said Rios ``tried to impress people right away and didn't get it done,'' but has no doubts that the 29-year-old will have better results this season.

``He couldn't play any worse than last year,'' Guillen said. ``Even if he tried this year, he can't. It was one of the worst I've ever seen. I'm just being honest. But I don't blame him. I predicted last year, when the season was over, that Alex was going to be a different ballplayer. He's got a lot of confidence, he knows everybody here. It's not easy when you get traded from one team to another, from the team you grew up with to the city of Chicago.''

Although Rios is batting .174 with one homer and three RBIs in the first six games, Guillen has seen positive signs.

``Right now, I don't care about the numbers, he's the one swinging the bat the best,'' Guillen said. ``He's hitting a lot of line drives.''

Rios said he took some time off after last season to clear his head and now feels comfortable with the White Sox.

``It's a fresh start, I just wiped last year from my mind,'' Rios said. ``From now on, it's something new.''

He's also happy to be challenging for an AL Central crown in Chicago while the Blue Jays, who traded ace Roy Halladay over the winter, are rebuilding.

``You want to be on a team that's going to have a shot to be in the playoffs,'' Rios said. ``I've never been in the playoffs and I know it's going to be great experience if we make it.''

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