The White Sox have placed lefty Dallas Keuchel on the 10-day injured list and recalled righty Reynaldo Lopez from their alternate training site in his place, per a team announcement. Keuchel is dealing with back spasms. His placement on the IL is retroactive to Sept. 7, so he could return in as little as a week. That appears to be the hope, as it was already known that Keuchel’s next start would be skipped because of this issue. Given that expectation, it’s not entirely surprising to see an IL stint to bring in a fresh arm.
Chicago’s three-year, $55.5MM investment in Keuchel has paid off in spades thus far. Prior to going on the injured list, the 32-year-old was in the midst of perhaps his best run since capturing the 2015 American League Cy Young Award. Through 53 1/3 frames this year, Keuchel has worked to a 2.19 ERA and 3.14 FIP with 5.4 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.34 HR/9 and a 56 percent ground-ball rate. He’s never managed to limit home runs at this rate, so there may be some regression coming on that front, but Keuchel still looks better than he’s been since that Cy Young win.
Lopez was only just optioned to the White Sox’ Schaumburg site last week. The former top prospect simply hasn’t performed well enough to be one of the team’s top rotation options over the past two seasons. Dating back to Opening Day 2019, Lopez carries a dismal 5.53 ERA and 5.18 FIP in 193 2/3 innings. He started four games for the Sox in 2020 before being optioned out, but he lasted only 9 2/3 innings overall. In that short time, he yielded 11 runs (nine earned) on 14 hits, eight walks and a hit batter with 10 strikeouts.
Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease and Dane Dunning currently lead an impressive core of young ChiSox starters, and veteran Gio Gonzalez was just activated from the injured list earlier this week. Assuming Keuchel’s injury doesn’t worsen, he could return for the finale of a pivotal series against the division-rival Twins next Thursday. The Sox also play four games in Cleveland from Sept. 21-24, and if Keuchel is able to make it back for the finale against the Twins, he’d line up to start the second game of an equally important series against the Indians.
The White Sox had the off season the Angels needed and its paying off for them. Hopefully Dallas gets back in time for a likely playoff push.
They are a fun team to watch.
Sox will be fine as long as they don’t Lopez pitch.
At this point they have no choice.
Cubs have only MAYBE 2 starters so STFU!
But the Sox are masochists who will of course give Lopez the ball this weekend even though the outcome of doom is predetermined. I wish they would try Clayton Richard, Stevier, or Detwiler. Rhibbie or Rhubarb! Anybody but Lopez.
Lopez will come out of the pen. There’s rumors of a rookie with a 1.10 career WHIP in the minors making his major league debut this weekend.
Who?
Stiever career MILB WHIP is 1.17. Did you mean him, or someone else?
socalsoxfan, I think you are fabricating unless you mean Stiever, who I have seen no mention of. There is nobody in sox system with a career WHIP in minors of 1.10. But I would be massively impressed if there was some cool pitcher with a secret identity behind your post!
Only other player who matches that who has reps above high A is Kyle Kubat. Which . . . Sure. Not like they have many options.
wow, there’s a name I have not heard in a while. His career WHIP 1.11, that has to be who Socal was referring to. I googled his name and can’t find any rumors about him starting tomorrow. They have not added him to the roster so would be pretty difficult for him to start I think. But hell yeah better than Lopez, only wish it were true.
Looks like rumors of Kubat or anyone else for that matter were fabricated… Reynaldo slated to start tomorrow. Dammit!
Southpaws going down like flies on this staff. Where are you, Mark Buehrle?
The Sox need to send Jimmy Cordero to Schamburgh too. Better yet, check out of the hotel at 3 a.m. and leave without telling him.
Lol!
Yeah Cordero is pretty bad. Between him, Cishek, Frye, and Burdi, I don’t think they have one good reliever out of the 4 of them. Cishek was overused by the Cubs the past 2 years and looks like he has nothing left.
3 a.m., I want to give that one more than one thumbs up!
Whatever it takes for veteran Keuchel to feel strong to start game 1 of playoffs.
Hopefully nothing more than 10 day IL. He and Giolito starting in playoffs would be huge
It sounds almost like he would probably start if the playoffs were this weekend, and that skipping a start is just extra caution. I’m sure he can use the rest, hopefully he can start against the Twins.
Man, I really hope Lopez figured something out while in Schaumburg.
On Lopez figuring it out, a quote from Lloyd Christmas: “So you’re telling me there’s a chance!”
I don’t like the idea of Lopez returning before Rodon after the report on the 6th that Rodon is ready for a return . If he can get back before Tues he can get 3 starts under his belt before the playoffs. I think that’s important.
Lopez looks clueless but with Rodon it’s all about health.. If he’s healthy enough he should prove as good as Cease and Dunning.
As for his impending FA I expect him to re-sign with CWS for $1M. i don’t see other teams taking the risk. Two of their most recent losses are on the bullpen so maybe Rodon can shore up that instead.
Rodon hasn’t been as good as Cease or Dunning in a long time. He can’t stay healthy, he’s been hurt well over half the time over his entire career basically. His velocity during his couple of starts this season was down from what it used to be, and he was not effective at all. He was supposed to throw a 60 pitch session this weekend but was scratched due to back issues, so he isn’t going to start anytime soon, either. I think very likely he has started his last game with the Sox, he has basically nothing to offer due to his health issues and loss of arm strength.
Lopez is terrible. He has no ability to locate his pitches whatsoever. Will either walk guys or leave pitches over the fat part of the plate and get pounded. I would give Clayton Richard a try, although he is not likely to have much to offer either. But at least it’s better than Lopez whose futility is all but a certainty at this point. Even against the Tigers I doubt he makes it past 3 innings without giving up like 6-8 runs. But they will likely give him the ball this weekend. I think I would rather watch reruns of Alf.
Carlos Rodon has one more year of arbitration eligibility remaining in 2021. He is not an impending free agent unless the White Sox decide to not tender him a contract this December which is certainly possible with a likely 2021 arbitration salary approaching $5M.
Reynaldo López has 3 more years of team control and is first time arbitration eligible next season. His likely salary would approach $1M after receiving a pro-rated 2020 salary of $580k, just above the MLB minimum of 563.5k.
I hope they release Rodon. Absolutely no point in keeping a guy with that high a probability of injury. He’s not likely to start more than a handful of games in any year, and at this point is not likely to be effective anymore, either. Sad but add him to the list of failed draft picks, which their organization is renowned for, especially with pitchers.
Lopez just needs to get his head right. Last year, he had a really nice stretch at one point, even being dominant in some of the games. The talent is there. I think he just gets in his own head. I doubt a short stint in Schaumburg is enough to have fixed that, but maybe this offseason, he pulls a Giolito and is transformed next year. (Unlikely, perhaps, but I can hope.)
While I wish your optimistic outlook came to pass, I think with Lopez it is a lot more than just in his head. What separates pitchers who make it from ones that don’t, for the most part, is their ability to locate their pitches. That’s much more of a physical skill than mental. I’m sure he wants to throw strikes but just can’t right now, at least not well located strikes. He is either walking guys or throwing very hittable pitches basically. Unless he figures out some mechanical flaw with the help of his coaches, it tough to see him having success in the major leagues.
His probability of success is so low that they certainly cannot count on him going into next year. I think they will sign somebody, high profile or maybe someone like Quintana, so that even if Lopez becomes effective it will be in a relief role. Which would be great actually, they could use another good arm or probably 2 or 3 out of the bullpen compared to the guys they have now.