On Tuesday Jake Woodford became the 10th different pitcher to start a game for the White Sox this season. Woodford was thrust into action from Triple-A Charlotte after Mike Clevinger was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.
White Sox manager Pedro Grifol told MLB.com that he does not expect Clevinger to be shut down for an extended period but added: “You just never know with these things.” Clevinger was already behind the eight-ball after missing the first five weeks of the season. He needed some time to ramp up after going unsigned over the offseason until the White Sox came calling on April 4th.
While he has shown flashes of the stuff that made him a top-of-the-rotation starter in Cleveland, the bulk of the season has not gone as planned. He owns a 0-3 record with a 6.75 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 16 innings in four starts. During that stretch, he has posted a -0.2 WAR, 11.5% walk rate, 35.2% ground ball rate, and a .295 expected batting average against him. For a team looking to flip him at the deadline, those numbers are not going to draw many suitors.
This comes as the market for Clevinger’s services is already scarce. The White Sox were unable to trade him last year. He then went unclaimed when he was placed on waivers, and unsigned until after the regular season had started. He is expected to return by mid-June, which won’t leave him much time to raise his stock.
At what point do the White Sox decide to cut their losses? Clevinger is already not well-liked by the majority of the fan base. He doesn’t figure to be a member of the team once they shift into their next “contention window” and is currently blocking a spot in the rotation that could be used by a younger arm in the minor leagues.
When Lucas Giolito struggled in 2018, he credited then-manager Rick Renteria for “letting him fail” at the MLB level. Giolito allowed a league-high 118 earned runs and 90 walks in his first season in a White Sox uniform. The 2018 version of Giolito was famously described as the “worst pitcher in baseball” in a commercial for Guaranteed Rate. The following season he was named to his first All-Star team. Failing in life is how you grow as a person. In baseball, a game of failure, it is also necessary to learn how to get better and make adjustments.
The 2024 year is already a lost season for the White Sox. Their 15-41 start is their worst record through 56 games since the 2018 White Sox were 18-38. By having Clevinger in the rotation, pitchers like Nick Nastrini or Jannathan Cannon are not given as many opportunities to learn at the MLB level, something that could pay dividends if they are part of a contenting White Sox team in the future.
