On mend, Putnam eyes shutdown middle-relief role

CHICAGO — The current White Sox bullpen alignment doesn’t feature Zach Putnam in the closer’s role, although he pitched the ninth successfully during parts of a 2014 breakout campaign.

But anyone who watched the most recent postseason, specifically Andrew Miller and the American League champion Indians, understands the last three outs aren’t always the tensest or even the most crucial for a bullpen crew in securing a victory.

“There’s nothing like the ninth inning. I’m not taking anything away from guys who have been closers their whole career or are closers now,” Putnam told MLB.com during a phone interview. “But those fifth and sixth innings, seventh-inning jams, you gotta have a guy.

“If you don’t have a guy you can trust … I don’t know if I were ever to manage a game if I’m putting my closer in in the fifth or sixth inning, but you want to have a guy that you can trust.”

Despite the White Sox clear-cut move to a rebuild, they currently possess a seemingly sturdy bullpen. Of course, closer David Robertson and setup man Nate Jones still could become trade candidates before the season begins.

Putnam posted a 2.30 ERA with 30 …

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