Carlos Rodon has thrown his last pitch in 2017.
The White Sox announced after the start of Friday night’s game that their young starting pitcher will go on the disabled list with left shoulder inflammation and that he won’t play again this season. This a night after Rodon was scratched from his scheduled start against the Cleveland Indians. He had an MRI on Friday.
It’s Rodon’s second trip to the DL this season. He missed the first three months of the regular season with bursitis in his left biceps.
While Rodon figures to factor heavily into the team’s future plans in the midst of this rebuild, it’s a tough sign to see him battle another injury. With the injury coming in the final month of a last-place season, shutting him down makes tons of sense regardless of how significant the injury actually is. Though there will also be some mystery as to how long it might have put him on the shelf had it come earlier in the season.
Though he didn’t know what was wrong with Rodon before Friday’s game, manager Rick Renteria said the team will be cautious with the 23-year-old regardless of the severity of the injury.
“Absolutely. I think we will, with Carlos, just like any of our guys when we’re concerned about or have any questions about any of them, we will always deal with them with an abundance of caution,” Renteria said. “He’s no different. We’ll see how it unfolds, and we’ll proceed accordingly.”
Rodon, who the White Sox took with the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft, pitched well after his first handful of starts back from his season-opening stay on the disabled list. After posting a 6.29 ERA in his first five starts, he’s turned in a 3.00 ERA in his last seven outings, with 45 strikeouts in 45 innings.
MLB
What impact this injury will have, if any, on Rodon’s readiness for the 2018 season is unknown at this point. Rodon is expected to be a significant part of the team's future rotation, one that already includes prospects Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. Michael Kopech is the top pitching prospect in baseball and could be a factor in next year's rotation, as well.