White Sox pitcher Thorpe leaves mound with elbow soreness
White Sox pitcher Drew Thorpe was removed from a rehab start in Arizona on Thursday.
The right-hander was warming up before the second inning of a Triple-A game, signaled to the dugout that something was wrong and left the mound, according to multiple reports.
“Sounds like discomfort of the elbow,” White Sox manager Will Venable told reporters. “We'll just evaluate it, likely do some imaging, and see where we're at.”
Thorpe's rookie season was cut short when he had surgery Sept. 7 to shave down a bone spur in his right elbow. He mentioned having a couple setbacks over the winter and getting a cortisone shot in January.
“Really unfortunate,” Venable added. “He’s been working really hard to get back, and obviously for the whole organization it's disappointing when there’s a setback, but for him he’s just been working so hard. Hopefully just a hiccup and he can just get back on track.”
It seems safe to say Thorpe will be on the injured list when the White Sox open the season on March 27 against the Angels. After being acquired from the Padres in the Dylan Cease trade, Thorpe started nine games last season and posted a 5.48 ERA.
The starting rotation is looking thin, but it's starting to take shape. Venable announced this week Sean Burke will be the Opening Day starter, and the team confirmed Rule 5 draft addition Shane Smith has made the roster and likely will be in the rotation.
The Sox made Smith the first overall pick of the Rule 5 draft in December. If he wasn't on the 26-man roster, the Sox would have to put him through waivers and offer him back to his former team (Milwaukee).
Smith has probably been the biggest sensation of Sox camp. He was roughed up in his initial appearance against Texas, but since then he's pitched 9 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts while hitting the high 90s with his fastball.
“It means everything to me and my family, with the journey I've been on the last couple of years,” Smith said of making the roster. “A lot of tears from my mom, and I think a little tears from my dad, which is new. They're so happy for me and excited.”
Smith, 24, is a Danvers, Mass., native who played at Wake Forest, then had Tommy John surgery in 2021. He has yet to make his major-league debut, splitting time between Double-A and Triple-A with the Brewers last year.
Veteran Martin Perez pitched 4 scoreless innings in the White Sox' 2-1 victory over the Angels on Thursday in Glendale, Ariz. Perez is slated to start the third game of the regular season. Jonathan Cannon and Davis Martin are expected to round out the rotation.
· Outfielder Andrew Benintendi returned to action Wednesday against Milwaukee, going 0-for-4 as designated hitter. He'd been sidelined since Feb. 27, when he suffered a right pinkie finger fracture when hit by a pitch.
Cubs make moves:
After returning from Japan, the Cubs trimmed the roster by sending pitchers Jordan Wicks and Eli Morgan to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday.
Morgan was a surprise since he's spent four years in the majors already with Cleveland, but he and Wicks had minor-league options left, so the Cubs are trying to keep as much pitching depth as possible in the minors. Morgan pitched 1⅓ innings against the Dodgers in Tokyo, allowing no runs and 1 hit.
The Cubs will play five exhibitions games in Arizona, beginning Friday against the Padres, before resuming their season on the road against the Diamondbacks March 27.