White Sox expect Rodon to miss 6-8 months after shoulder surgery

The first red flag popped up in the early days of spring training.

While the rest of the White Sox pitching staff threw off the mound and eased into the long season, Carlos Rodon stood off to the side and watched.

Rodon gradually got up to speed, but he was shut down after making just one Cactus League start.

The left-hander was diagnosed with biceps bursitis, and Rodon stayed back at camp in Arizona until making his first rehab start with Class AAA Charlotte in early June.

Rodon was back with the Sox in late June, and he went 2-5 with a 4.15 ERA over 12 starts before being shut down for the season on Sept. 8 with more shoulder inflammation. An MRI revealed no structural damage.

"I'll definitely be back to pitch next year," Rodon said. "No doubt about that."

That is still true, but Rodon's ETA for 2018 is unknown after having surgery Wednesday in Los Angeles.

"An arthroscopic procedure on his left shoulder, performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. "The procedure revealed significant bursitis in his left shoulder, which was debrided. The good news is that both the labrum and the biceps were viewed as normal during the procedure and Carlos is expected to make a full recovery.

"The timing as to his return to a major-league mound is still difficult to pinpoint at this point and will be dependent on how his rehab goes. We are able to put a general time frame of 6 to 8 months on his return to a major-league mound."

Had it been a capsule tear or damage to the labrum, Rodon might have missed the entire 2018 season and come back as a much different pitcher.

The Sox are keeping their fingers crossed that Rodon will be his old self when he does return at some point next year. Rodon was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft.

"You never want to undergo a surgical procedure unless you absolutely have to, especially on a pitcher's arm," Hahn said. "But it certainly got to a point where this was the best path to determine precisely what was going on, and we are pleased with although still obviously a real issue, it seems to have been limited to bursitis and something which was debrided and he has a good prognosis going forward."

Since the start of spring training, there has been plenty of talk about Rodon getting in better condition and taking better care of his shoulder and arm. The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder has acknowledged that fact.

But Rodon also said he's not going to change his mechanics.

"There's no specific delivery based cause or usage cause or anything along those lines," Hahn said. "It's something that happens from time to time and unfortunately, it happened to Carlos. I did ask and my understanding is that once he's on the other side of this and fully returned to pitching, he is not at any heightened risk of recurrence from suffering from bursitis. It should be behind him once he's fully healthy."

White Sox vs. Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field

TV: Comcast SportsNet Friday and Sunday; WGN Saturday

Radio: WLS 890-AM

Pitching matchups: The Sox's David Holmberg (2-4) vs. Trevor Bauer (16-9) Friday at 6:10 p.m.; Carson Fulmer (2-1) vs. Corey Kluber (18-4) Saturday at 6:10 p.m.; Chris Volstad (1-1) vs. Josh Tomlin (9-9) at 2:10 p.m.

At a glance: The White Sox wrap up the season against the Indians, the defending American League champions. Heading into Thursday's play, Cleveland led the league with a 3.35 ERA and was fourth with 799 runs scored. Heading into Thursday, Sox right fielder Avisail Garcia ranked second in the majors with a .329 batting average. The White Sox are 5-11 vs. the Indians this season.

- Scot Gregor