At 25-15, the White Sox are a lock to make the postseason. It’s just a matter of what seed they’ll be in the expanded playoff format in 2020. They’re currently in first place in the AL Central division and they’ve been getting the job done without much help from the back end of their rotation.
Rookie Dane Dunning has taking over one spot in the rotation, and he’s looked good in three starts. Yet, the White Sox are still hoping to get back lefty Carlos Rodón before the season ends.
The 27-year-old last pitched on Aug. 3, leaving his start after two innings against the Brewers because of shoulder soreness. Nothing major was discovered when Rodón was examined and he’s been slowly ramping up, pitching bullpen sessions in Schaumburg.
Rodón was set to throw about 60 pitches on Friday, getting one step closer to rejoining the big league club sometime in September.
However, those plans changed as White Sox manager Rick Renteria told media on Saturday that Rodón did not throw on Friday because the pitcher was dealing with a back issue.
So, that’s a setback for Rodón, as the lefty just hasn’t had a full healthy season since coming up to the majors.
The White Sox also placed left-handed reliever Jace Fry on the 10-day injured list Saturday, while moving another lefty in Aaron Bummer to the 45-day injured list.
Last week White Sox GM Rick Hahn told reporters that the team was optimistic about a Bummer return, but that the reliever did have a nerve issue in his pitching arm.
The move to the 45-day injured list doesn’t mean Bummer is done for 2020, as he’s already been sidelined since Aug. 8. So, Bummer, who was the best White Sox reliever in 2019 and was off to another great start this year, is eligible to return during the final week of the regular season.
However, you have to feel a bit skeptical after seeing that Bummer has some nerve issues near his bicep.
At this point, the White Sox are simply hoping to get as healthy as possible before making a run in the playoffs. Getting Bummer back would be huge and even Rodón could provide a boost to the pitching staff.
