Already short on experience, the White Sox could be without one of their most seasoned relievers the rest of the way.
The club placed Jake Petricka on the disabled list on Thursday with an elbow strain. The move is retroactive to Tuesday.
The DL trip is the third this season for Petricka, who is 1-1 with a 7.01 ERA in 25 2/3 innings. Petricka — whose MRI showed no structural damage — also was on the DL from April 5 to June 8 with a right lat strain and missed a month starting June 26 with a right elbow strain. He said he’s not worried after the MRI.
“It’s just another bump in the road we’ve got to take care of,” Petricka said. “We took pictures and it came back very minor. We’ve got a plan of attack and know it will work.
“The previous (injuries) were always instant. This one was more of a gradual. Decent workload going on throughout the previous couple of weeks and just kind of built up and one of the wear-down injuries, not the acute, one-pitch injury.”
The White Sox bullpen has been a revolving door all season long, but in particular the past month and a half. The club is without Nate Jones and Zach Putnam because of season-ending elbow injuries. Zack Burdi’s major league debut was derailed by a season-ending elbow injury.
And, the White Sox traded Tommy Kahnle, David Robertson, Anthony Swarzak, Dan Jennings and Tyler Clippard.
MLB
Those healthy in the bullpen include six rookies — Juan Minaya, Gregory Infante, Chris Beck, Dylan Covey, Aaron Bummer and Jace Fry — and veterans Danny Farquhar and Mike Pelfrey, whose nine relief appearances this season are a career high.
With less than a month left in the season, it might be difficult for Petricka to return in time.
“I’m sure it has been really frustrating to get back healthy and go back out and feel a little something again,” manager Rick Renteria said. “We feel bad for him, but you really can’t control that. I think hopefully it’s nothing serious and he’s able to get back. I don’t know if it will be before the season is out. But back and healthy at some point and do what he always does.”