Shields lands on DL, White Sox aren't rushing any young replacement starters
In seasons past, the Chicago White Sox would have rushed a promising prospect to the major leagues to plug a hole opened by injury.
That's just how the Sox rolled, and the strategy rarely worked.
General manager Rick Hahn promised that the White Sox's revamped farm system would be given proper time to develop this season and likely beyond, and his actions matched his words on Friday.
Just before first pitch between the Sox and Cleveland Indians, Saturday's scheduled starting pitcher James Shields landed on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right lat.
The Sox could have called on Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito or Carson Fulmer from Class AAA Charlotte, or they could have dipped down another level and summoned hard-throwing Michael Kopech from AA Birmingham.
Instead, veteran Mike Pelfrey is coming up from Charlotte to replace Shields, who is 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA through 3 starts with the White Sox.
Signed to a minor-league deal in early April after being released by Detroit, Pelfrey is 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA in 2 starts with Charlotte.
The White Sox are hoping Shields only misses a few turns, so Pelfrey's stay is likely to be short.
"From the start, we talked about when these guys (Lopez, Giolito, Fulmer, Kopech) do get to Chicago for that last stage of development that happens in the big leagues, we want them to feel comfortable they will get the ball every fifth day," Hahn said. "It's not going to be snatched away from them because someone is coming off the DL or their performance isn't up to snuff in any individual start.
"That's the ideal path. You can't always follow through on those plans in the end, but right now we are going to do everything in our power to make sure when any of the prospects get promoted, they will be here to stay."
The early numbers indicate the White Sox's top young arms need more seasoning.
At Triple-A, Lopez is 0-1 with a 5.02 ERA. Giolito is 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA. Fulmer is 2-1 with a 4.24 ERA.
At Double-A, Kopech is 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA.
Another young starter, 23-year-old Tyler Danish, is 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA in 3 starts
for Charlotte, but the right-handed pitched Thursday.
"We absolutely thought about Tyler," Hahn said. "He has pitched fantastic down there and Tyler deserves an opportunity to pitch at the big-league level. Had this happened on a different time frame then perhaps Danish would have been the guy. Based on how everyone lines up down there now and this potentially being a temporary spot, it made more sense to go with Mike."
Pelfrey, 33, was cut by the Tigers late in spring training despite being owed $8 million this season. He was 4-10 with a 5.07 ERA for Detroit last year.