CHICAGO – Chicago White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon will be healthy enough to help the team in the postseason after the left-hander was constrained down the stretch of the regular schedule.
“We remain optimistic that he will be able to contribute over the course of the next month,” general manager Rick Hahn said Monday. “Obviously, given the amount of work that he has endured this season, the increase from previous years, his strength and comfort and the general level of pain and fatigue is something that we continue to monitor,” he added.
Hahn said Rodon will only have one performance during the division series against AL West champions the Houston Astros, which begins Thursday. If the White Sox win the best-of-five series, they will assess the left-hander’s workload series by series. He is scheduled to pitch in a bullpen session on Tuesday.
Rodon has a history of arm and shoulder injuries and only pitched 28 innings in the final two months of the regular season. But he also played a role in the White Sox claiming the AL Central title with a 93-69 record. The team outscored Cleveland by 13 games and finished with its most wins since the 2005 World Series champion team went 99-63.
The southpaw set his winning record by going 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA and was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time. His 24 starts and 132 2/3 innings are his most since 2016, well above his totals in the previous two years combined.
“What should not be missed in all of this is that we are here today as the division champions thanks in large part to Carlos’ contribution over the past six months,” Hahn said. “He, along with our coaching staff and coaches, I think they deserve all the credit for putting him in a position where he can succeed and show the world what he is capable of when fully healthy. Obviously down the stretch. We had to be aware of the workload, of how Carlos felt, and we adjusted, “he added.
Hahn said Lance Lynn or Lucas Giolito will start Game 1 in Houston on Thursday. He also commented that hitter José Abreu has been dealing with a “non-COVID-related illness” since Saturday, but that he should be fine for the series.
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