The White Sox have announced a brutal trio of injury updates this afternoon, as James Fegan of The Athletic was among those to cover (links to Twitter). Lefty Carlos Rodon, righty Nate Jones, and propect Micker Adolfo are all slated for season-ending surgeries.
Rodon is headed in for Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. That outcome had been expected after the procedure was recommended recently. If all goes well, the 26-year-old could return at some point during the 2020 season.
The White Sox are paying Rodon $4.2MM this year, his second of four seasons of arbitration eligibility. With seven starts under his belt in 2019, Rodon has likely done enough to nudge that rate forward at least a bit, but won’t be due a significant raise. The former first-rounder has had some worrying health problems in recent years, but this will represent the most significant disruption to his career.
As for Jones, it’s another disappointing turn for a reliever whose career has been sidetracked by a never-ending barrage of injuries, including a prior TJ procedure (among others). The 33-year-old underwent surgery yesterday to address a flexor mass injury in his right forearm. He has averaged less than 25 innings annually since the start of the 2014 season.
Jones remains controllable under the extension he signed in late 2015, which includes successive club options that include a $1.25MM buyout. The 2020 option was to be valued at either $3.75MM or $5.15MM, depending upon whether Jones had certain elbow procedures prior to 2018. He did not have another Tommy John surgery but did undergo a nerve repositioning procedure; whether the clause was triggered depends upon the precise language of the contract, which does not appear to have been reported.
Though he’s an outfielder rather than a pitcher, Adolfo has seen his own burgeoning career thwarted to this point by elbow troubles (among other injuries). He underwent TJS last year and worked back to health in time to take 95 plate appearances this season at Double-A (functioning only as a DH). His latest elbow work will require a four-to-six month break from baseball activities. GM Rick Hahn added that Adolfo will receive a fourth option year due to the health woes, which will make it easier for the club to hang onto him while he works back to health yet again.
Damn Sox
Happy Monday
James Shields is coming back to the south side!
I seriously doubt that one. He’s already said he wants to get paid what he feels he’s worth (insert joke of your choosing here), so you have your reason why he’s still unsigned. My guess is he will never pitch again in a MLB uniform.
So he’ll work for White Sox tickets?
That’s the spirit! I like that one.
Did they get a volume discount?
Is the report on healthy Sox players shorter?
Ugh….and than depression starts in
Well, that’s about it for Jones in a White Sox uniform…..
Sadly you most likely right. He had a ton of potential and looked solid at times when healthy.
Did they have a coupon where it was buy two get one free or something?
2 Tommy Johns and 3rd one free. Dane Dunning and Michael Kopech was last year and Carlos gets his for free.
Adolfo has no luck
Adolfo looks like he could be a great prospect, but we may never know.
Nate Jones’s pitching arm must have the consistency of Jello by now. I feel for the guy, it seems to me like he’s had a major surgery every year of his career.
Year 7 of the rebuild
The way these injuries keep piling up, their rebuild might end up at 7 years. 3 years so far is bad enough, let’s hope it’s not 7.
They’ll be lucky if they’re competitive 7 years from NOW, let alone year 7 of the rebuild. Most of their major prospects have had serious injuries or have not produced.
Yup, tack on another three years worth of excuses.
@holycamels35
If you figure TJ surgeries take you out for basically 2 years (1 & 1/2 to be a little more precise), you’re not too far off.
If it makes you sleep better at night calling TJ surgeries and other major surgeries “excuses”, more power to you.
It’s a shame that there’s no real means of exchange for the White Sox to get Colin Rea, or some quality Triple-A SP in an organization other than the Cubs.
It’s not a Cubs thing. Teams have usable/useful SP options, but teams not trying to compete have little interest in trading something useful that could improve their team. And, yes. I’m entirely aware the Cubs did the same thing. The problem is the premise, not the doer.
Sox will never complete the rebuild as long as Uncle Jerry owns the team. He is far too cheap to ever spend the money necessary to support the rebuilding effort.
Unless of course he can somehow get the money via taxpayers, from any state.
For years the White Sox had the lowest number of DL days lost of any team in MLB. Of course we were all told that it wasn’t accidental, it wasn’t random, it was because of a great training staff, innovative conditioning methods, etc.
Now they’re going down faster than the enemy in a bad war movie and it’s all…bad luck? Who is evaluating this stuff? And who is evaluating those evaluators?
Cease
Are you predicting who’s next? God, I hope he stays healthy.
You mean the guy the Cubs drafted KNOWING he’d need Tommy John?
When it rains, it pours. We already knew the outcome for Rodon before it became official, but the prospect injury total (and severity) is staggering. It’s bad enough most of the prospects aren’t producing so far this season (and for some, their entire career), but to have so many significant injuries, it’s unreal.
If a top prospect falls in the woods in front of entire scouting and coaching staffs, is it really a top prospect?
I still have faith that we can finish in 3rd place in the division within 5 games (give or take) of being .500 when it’s all said and done this year. Don’t lose faith Sox fans.
You play in the same division as the Tigers and Royals. Anything less than third place has to be considered a major failure. To your other point, winning 77 or 78 games would be have to be considered a success.
“We”?? What position do you play on the White Sox?
Why do teams continue to burn high first rounders on pitching, when the Carribean is full of pitching?
The Sox haven’t in their last 3 drafts, and they probably won’t this year either.
And they do it because everybody is desperate for good pitching.
In last year’s June Draft the White Sox had the 4th pick. Only one pitcher was worthy at that spot, Auburn’s Casey Mize who was selected with the overall #1 pick by the Tigers. The White Sox might have also gone with Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart who the Giants tabbed with the #2 pick. With the #3 pick the Phillies opted for Wichita State 3B Alec Bohm. That left the White Sox to pick from among 3 other college players (who they have prefered in recent years), Oregon State 2B Nick Madrigal and two University of Florida players in 3B Jonathan India and SP Brady Singer. They wisely opted for the best hitter and defender in Madrigal.
The previous year the White Sox selected Missouri State 3B Jake Burger with the #11 overall pick. Burger was also considered one of the premier college bats in the 2017 Draft class. He was yet another White Sox player who became the victim of a serious injury, twice injury the same achilles tendon last year. Burger should be ready to resume his pro career next month.
In 2016 the White Sox had two first round picks. They chose another advanced college bat in University of Miami catcher Zack Collins with their first pick (#10) and then selected University of Louisville closer Zack Burdi with their second pick (#26). The White Sox also wound up trading for Nationals first round pick Dane Dunning (#29) who was one of the 3 pitchers obtained in the 2016 Adam Eaton trade that helped kick off their rebuild at the December Winter Meetings.
Hmmm….all that and only 2 games under .500 for a team projected by the ‘experts’ to be much worse. And Eloy yet to find his way.
So called “experts” called the finish of the “weak” AL Central to be
1) Cleveland
2) Minnesota
3) White Sox
4) Tigers
5) Royals
On pace for that finish outside of Cleveland and Twins swapping
Just as many picked the Sox lower than third. But really it’s the close to .500 record that’s more telling than third place in the standings. You can be third with a .300 winning percentage.
The White Sox injuries are unfortunate but this team didn’t figure to be competitive until at least 2020. That is still possible in a weak AL Central with 2021 now a more realistic goal.
All that being said, I am still bullish on the White Sox rebuild. From a positional standpoint there were only 3 players on the 2019 active roster that figure to be certified foundation pieces when the team becomes serious contenders. Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada and are finally realizing their MLB potential and should be set at SS and 3B. Eloy Jimenez will begin a brief rehab assignment this week at AAA Charlotte and should be back in LF for the White Sox within 7 days. Those 3 players will comprise one-third of the future White Sox lineup heading into the 2020 season.
I remain confident that CF Luis Robert and 2B Nick Madrigal will become core fixtures beginning some time next season. That would give the White Sox 5 foundation pieces by 2021 including 3 players at the four most important positions up the middle with only the catching position a question mark.
I feel that the White Sox can adequately fill their corner OF spots, 1B and the DH spots internally. This would include Jimenez in LF, 1B or DH. If Jimenez can handle LF I remain confident that they can also find a core player at 1B and DH from among prospects Zack Collins, Jake Burger and Gavin Sheets, signing Jose Abreu to an extension or with the selection of Andrew Vaughn in the upcoming June Rule 4 Draft in 3 weeks. Many of the top White Sox prospects are OF’s in addition to Jimenez and Robert. I don’t think it’s unrealistic that one of Steele Walker, Micker Adolfo, Blake Rutherford, Luis Gonzales or Luis Alexander Basabe can fill either LF, RF or the 4th OF spot down the road depending on where Jimenez ultimately winds up.
In my opinion the White Sox will only need to acquire their future starting catcher outside the organization unless Oregon State University backstop Adley Rutschman unexpectedly falls to them with their overall #3 pick in the 2019 Draft.
It’s too bad that the White Sox didn’t go all out for free agent RF Bruce Harper last offseason rather than put some much time, effort, potential dollars and wasted player expenditure into Manny Machado. Harper was the better fit with Moncada earmarked for 3B anyway and Anderson looking like a their long term answer at SS. Harper would have given the White Sox their 4th legitimate core piece in 2019 and 6 heading into 2020 and beyond.
Typo correction: It’s too bad that the White Sox didn’t go all out for free agent RF Bryce Harper last offseason rather than put so much time, effort, potential dollars and wasted player expenditure into Manny Machado.
@ AaronSapoznik
Very well written.
I think the Sox will force Collins into the C position for the first few years, whether or not it’s the right move. They might move him out sooner if the Sox are lucky enough to have Rutschman fall into their lap. They might want to keep McCann, at least until the C situation gets settled in the next couple of years.
Assuming Robert is the real deal, I would think it’s between Adolfo and Basabe for the 3rd OF spot (or it could be both if they decide to make Jimenez a 1B/DH type, as you suggested). If Adolfo ever stays healthy starting next year, I say it’s him. But huge “if” there.
I do believe Abreu will get extended, which leaves just a 1B/DH spot (unless it’s Jimenez who gets plugged into that spot). Of course, it could be Andrew Vaughn who ultimately takes that 1B spot if he falls to the Sox as most predict (and also as you suggested).
You figure this as a possibility: C Z Collins, 1B Abreu (or Vaughn by 2021), 2B Madrigal, SS TA, 3B Moncada, LF Jimenez ? (or Basabe/Robert), CF Robert (or Basabe), RF Adolfo (or Basabe), DH Abreu/Jimenez/Burger/someone from the outside. It’s just one of many possibilities.
The dust still needs to settle over the next year or so, but you can see a legitimate offense starting to form (or at least a good blueprint for one). Hopefully the Sox are done with the major injuries/surgeries for their prospects.
As for the pitching, that’s for another day. At least Giolito is looking better. I hope I didn’t just give him the kiss of death LOL.
Again, very well written, Aaron.
As an MLB fan just don’t like to see serious injuries to the players. You want to see the very best teams have to offer. Especially some of the young, talented players that the White Sox have. I was actually looking forward to the rebuild and the influx of these players making an impact. There’s still time. These players who are injured will get well and get back. Continue to build on the success so far with Moncada and Anderson. Jimenez is not that far off from coming back. Hopefully, this round of injuries the past couple of seasons is over.
How can Rodon expect to be resigned let alone get a raise? Ridiculous. Only 34 innings and a 5.17 era? Very injury prone also. Forget it.
You can dismiss the high ERA. In that small sample size, all it takes is a couple really bad games to inflate it that high. He’s basically his normal inconsistent self this season–pitch great a couple games, follow it with a couple bad games, rinse, repeat. He just got injured while in the midst of another bad games stretch,
What his TJ surgery does is kills any chance of him getting traded (for any value) before the end of ’21. It also kills any chance of the Sox extending him past ’21, unless he fires Boras as his agent, which would be extremely stupid on his part. Unless he becomes a Cy Young candidate in ’21, the Sox won’t take the gamble on him. Then again, if by some miracle he becomes a Cy Young candidate in ’21, Boras will price him well out of the Sox range. So it doesn’t really matter.
I would think the Sox would keep him until ’21, because I can’t imagine his arbitration will be very high the next couple years with the surgery, even with Boras behind him. But that’s just my opinion, I don’t have Hahn or Reinsdorf on speed-dial to ask them.
I am not a baseball guy, I just sometimes peruse the topics here. For those of you much more knowledgeable than I, do the Sox just have a terrible training staff? It seems that their best prospects are always getting injured.
It’s possible they might have a part to play in it, but I’d say it’s more bad luck than a terrible training staff. SP’s are going down left & right, the Sox just happen to have a bunch of them who got seriously injured. I’m not trying to defend their training staff, because they’re certainly not helping the situation, but I think you can put more of the blame on dumb luck than a training issue. If you blame the training staff, you need to blame everyone all the way down to the high school coaches and parents who push their kids too far in sports.
What needs to be done is to teach these guys how to actually pitch and not just throw 95-100 mph and try to strike out 15 a game. It’s part of the ESPN syndrome, where all they seem to focus on is HR’s and K’s (and HR robberies). That’s why these guys throw 100 pitches in 6 innings and eventually need TJ surgeries. So if you say that falls squarely on the training staff, then sure, they get the blame. I wouldn’t put that squarely on them, but that’s why I don’t absolve them from the problem either.
I’d rather have a guy pitch 90 mph, get 3 K’s, gives up 1 or 2 runs and pitch a CG than one who throws 100+ mph, throw 6 innings, 15 K’s, and gives up 3+ runs. But that’s just me.
Thanks for replying. You raise some interesting points.
The Padres have many needs, let the prospects develop. They will improve gradually. 2019 many prospects will get their fast wet. 2020 they will settle in and have a chance to move up. By 2021 they should be a very strong contender.