Injured Rodon not expected to join White Sox rotation for 5-6 weeks
Carlos Rodon is one of the talented young players the Chicago White Sox want to rebuild around.
Before the 24-year-old starting pitcher can move toward the top of the rotation, he has to get healthy.
Completely shut down early in spring training and limited to 1 Cactus League start before being shut down again with left bicep bursitis, Rodon is on the disabled list and isn't expected to rejoin the Sox for 5-6 weeks.
The lefty is still back at extended spring training in Glendale, Ariz.
"Carlos is on his throwing program," general manager Rick Hahn said. "(April) 10th will be two weeks. He's been throwing off of flat ground, he says he feels real good. If that continues to be the pace he's on, we'll start getting him off a mound around the 10th with a specific program for him, which will include a rehab assignment at some point."
Considering how much time he's missed, Rodon is basically one week into a normal spring training.
"In some ways, where we started this throwing program isn't totally dissimilar from where you are at the start of spring, which tends to be about a six-week process to getting a guy back," Hahn said. "Now he did have, I want to say about 60 pitches in a game under his belt already, so it's not perfectly equivalent to how a guy shows up at camp. So, knock on wood, health permitting, I don't necessarily see it taking the full six, like a normal spring training.
"But again, we're going to take our time on this one. If there's the least bit of discomfort or any stuff like that, we're going to take a step back and start this thing over. As I told Carlos directly, there's zero reason for us to rush through this."
Rainout information:
All tickets for Monday's White Sox-Tigers season opener, which was postponed due to rain, can be used for Tuesday's rescheduled game.
Scheduled Sox starter Jose Quintana has been pushed back to Tuesday, as has Detroit counterpart Justin Verlander.
The game starts at 1:10 p.m. and parking is free at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Sox also announced that fans holding tickets to Monday's game can bring their used or unused ticket to the Guaranteed Rate Field box office during regular business hours and receive a complimentary lower box or outfield reserve ticket to any future White Sox game, excluding the following dates: May 29-31 vs. Boston, June 24 vs. Oakland, June 26-29 vs. the Yankees, July 18-19 vs. the Dodgers and July 26-27 vs. the Cubs, based on availability.
Minor matters:
When asked about top prospect Yoan Moncada, GM Rick Hahn said Class AAA Charlotte is a good place for the 21-year-old second baseman to start the season.
"I do think it's important to keep in mind that he has about 200 plate appearances above A ball, he got moved around positionally last year," Hahn said. "There needs to be some time for him to finish off his development. He's never been to Triple-A, which is obviously where he is starting now. The tools are as advertised, they jump out at you, the bat speed, the athleticism, the power.
"We want to get him as comfortable as possible at second base, with more repetition there. We'd like to see him against more Triple-A pitching, which, unlike where he's been, tends to be a little bit more breaking ball heavy, a little more savvy veteran heavy, and see how they work him over a little bit. But it's not going to surprise me if he forces the issue and he's up here at some point this year."
Hahn said 20-year-old pitching prospect Michael Kopech, who like Moncada was acquired from the Red Sox in the Chris Sale trade, is opening the season with AA Birmingham.
"Kopech is starting at Double-A based on large part on the poise he showed and how he performed in big-league camp, where going in he was on that fence between (high Class A) Winston-Salem and Birmingham," Hahn said.