Rodon looks forward to getting down to business with Sox

After the frustration of being non-tendered by the White Sox following the 2020 season, Carlos Rodon is enjoying a renaissance this spring.

Rodon has produced impressive numbers. He has allowed no runs or walks in nine innings of work and only four hits, while striking out 10.

And now he looks forward to a return to the rotation.

"It's been fun," he said. "I'm just happy to be a part of the starting staff."

He said at first he was surprised when the Sox declined to offer him a contract.

But he was also aware that it was a business decision.

"Baseball is a business," he said. "Not many of us want to say that, although it's a game played as children growing up. But there's a business side of it, and I understand that from the club's perspective."

Still, Rodon said the club's decision motivated him.

When the chance to return to the South Side came up, several factors made the opportunity attractive, including familiarity with the team.

"This is going to be a winning ballclub, so why wouldn't you want to come here?"

A big factor was the new Sox pitching coach, Ethan Katz.

"Getting a chance to work with Ethan was a big part of it," he said.

Even before he was non-tendered, Rodon was sending videos to Katz.

"I think we jumped on FaceTime pretty quickly. He's like, 'I want to show you this. so you can see it, so you can visualize it when you're playing catch.' The relationship blossomed pretty quickly."

That relationship resumed when the Sox re-signed Rodon.

Rodon made it clear his enthusiasm about Katz is not a knock on former longtime Sox pitching coach Don Cooper.

"Nothing against Don Cooper. He was great," he said. "It was a pleasure to work with him. Sometimes it's nice to get a fresh set of eyes and just a different outlook."

Working with Katz, he has been concentrating more on his lower body which, he said, has made him more consistent with his fastball and putting less stress on his arm.

"I think my mechanics have cleaned up a lot, just taking a lot of stress off my body as a whole, taking more of the energy out of the ground, (rather) than just putting the stress on my arm."

Jimenez hurt: Left fielder Eloy Jimenez left Wednesday's game against the A's after he reached over the fence with his glove hand attempting to rob Oakland's Sean Murphy of a home run in the second.

According to the White Sox, he is suffering from left shoulder discomfort and will be further evaluated. An update is expected Thursday.

Hendriks update: White Sox Manager Tony La Russa said reliever Liam Hendriks, who has been suffering from kidney stones, threw 20-25 pitches out of the bullpen Wednesday. La Russa said the team projects to have him back in action by the weekend.

Heuer impresses: Codi Heuer squeaked out of a jam in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Cubs.

Brought in during the eighth, Heuer gave up a leadoff triple to Nico Hoerner. He then regrouped and struck out the side to end the threat.

Heuer said, "I have always embraced high-leverage situations. As a bullpen guy, that's what you want to do."