White Sox Put Walker on Disabled List; Doctors Say He Has Viral Infection

CHICAGO — Chicago White Sox first baseman Greg Walker, who suffered two seizures during the weekend, has a treatable viral infection in the brain, according to doctors, the team said Monday.

“Anything major is ruled out,” White Sox trainer Herm Schneider said. “There is no tumor. This is treatable.”

The White Sox put Walker, who is undergoing tests at Christ Hospital in suburban Oak Lawn, on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to Saturday.

“Doctors attending Walker now feel his seizures likely were provoked by a virus that caused a focal infection in the brain,” the White Sox said in a statement.

The White Sox also said an earlier report from a team spokesman that Walker had suffered from seizures as a child was inaccurate. Walker’s mother, Joanne, said he once was hospitalized after reacting to an insect bite, but did not suffer from seizures.

Walker’s first seizure occurred Saturday morning during batting practice before a game against the Angels at Comiskey Park. The second one occurred Sunday at the hospital.

To replace Walker in the lineup, the White Sox have purchased the contract of outfielder-first baseman James Randall from their triple-A Vancouver club.