Rodon joins White Sox as relief pitcher ... for now

Carlos Rodon was in uniform Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field, but he wasn't dressed as a savior for a White Sox team that has started the season on the sour side.

"This is about Carlos' long-term ability to contribute in Chicago, and ultimately at the front end of the rotation," Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. "This move would've been made if we were 11-0 right now. Really, this is about him forcing the issue in terms of what's best for his development.

"Second, and perhaps almost as important, it makes us stronger, makes us better."

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 draft following a decorated career at North Carolina State, Rodon was limited to 24⅔ innings in the minor leagues last year after agreeing to a franchise-record $6.582 million signing bonus on July 11.

The 22-year-old left-hander was impressive in the Cactus League this spring, and after going 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA and striking out 13 in 10 innings in 2 starts with Class AAA Charlotte, Rodon got the call from the White Sox.

"It's a dream come true," he said. "I really wasn't trying to think about it. Just enjoying my time in Charlotte, enjoying my time with my teammates. Win some ballgames and get better."

In time, Rodon is expected to make the Sox' starting rotation better.

For now, the 6-foot-3, 235-pounder is a relief pitcher.

"I kind of have an idea what it's like," said Rodon, who made 1 relief appearance in spring training. "It was a different routine, but it's doable. It's a little different. You come out, you throw your best fastballs, and you don't really try to pace yourself."

Ace starting pitcher Chris Sale came up as a relief pitcher, but he made 79 appearances out of the bullpen in 2010-11 before moving on to stardom in the rotation.

Rodon is expected to join the starting five much sooner, although no timetable appears to be set.

"It's going to be his development, and the team need," Hahn said. "How he's throwing the ball, where he is from a health standpoint, a physical standpoint, a mechanical standpoint, how his stuff looks, as well as how he compares to our other options in the rotation. What we're committing to right now is he's starting off in the bullpen. Where it goes from here, we're going to keep an open mind."

Rodon's lack of innings since last year's draft is an obvious concern. The White Sox don't want to pile too much on his plate in Rodon's first full professional season.

"In terms of Carlos Rodon, 2015 innings, we are dealing with a scarce resource," Hahn said. "I don't think anyone could reasonably expect any pitcher a year out of college to make 32 starts and average 6 innings a start. It will be some level below that in terms of what we will be able to get out of this guy physically and developmentally.

"A way to maximize that is to start him out in the bullpen, get him some work here, get his feet wet, get him acclimated to the big leagues, everything that goes about being a successful big-league pitcher, and then make that transition to the rotation when the time is right."

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