White Sox Pitcher Carlos Rodon Likely To Begin Season On Disabled List

The “odds are” that Carlos Rodon will start the year on the disabled list, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn told reporters yesterday.

Rodon was scratched from his Friday start with tightness in his bicep and sent for an MRI, which came back negative for any structural issues. He’ll seek a second opinion on Monday in California, but the team is already planning to have to start the year without him. Rodon had a deliberately slow start to spring training and did not make his first start until last week, with the team managing his workload cautiously in an attempt to stretch him for a bigger workload this year.

While Rodon’s full-season numbers from last year are somewhat underwhelming, the 24-year-old performed significantly better after opting to throw his sinker less and his changeup more in the final two months of the season. In August and September, he had a 3.10 ERA with a K/9 rate of 9.4 and a BB/9 rate of 2.7.

Who might fill the gap in the rotation for however long Rodon is out? Dylan Covey. Who is Dylan Covey? From Daryl Van Schouwen of Chicago Sun-Times:

Enter Covey, a Rule 5 draft pick taken from the Athletics in December. He entered his start with a 10.13 ERA this spring but was a candidate to fill the void nonetheless. Against the Indians [on Saturday], he attacked the strike zone and pitched 3⅔ scoreless innings (44 pitches). He struck out three.