White Sox confident John Danks will return strong

The Chicago White Sox feel good about the recovery process for left-handed pitcher John Danks, according to ESPN Chicago. Danks missed most of the 2012 season after a shoulder injury that required arthroscopic surgery, making just nine starts last season.

According to the report, team head trainer Herm Schneider made a house call to Danks and said that his recovery is on track. There's quotes from general manager Rick Hahn, in which he says that everything "remains cautiously optimistic as we head into spring training."

Danks agreed to a five-year, $65 million contract extension prior to the beginning of last season. His salary is $14.25 million this upcoming season, so it would really hurt the White Sox if he's not ready to go. He'd likely be key to the pitching staff being considered an effective unit in 2013.

As per the report, Danks has every single day of his rehab mapped out by the team's training staff until spring training.