Back in March when a 162-game season was still a reality, the White Sox had a potentially good problem on their starting rotation depth chart. With Michael Kopech not necessarily expecting to begin on the Opening Day 26-man roster, his presence was expected soon after. It was likely that Gio González was going to be pushed to a swing role and put the Sox in an enviable position with their pitching staff.
Again, when prognosticating in March, one of several storylines to follow included the rate in which Carlos Rodón would return from his Tommy John surgery following just seven starts in 2019. Once healthy, a rotation spot was theoretically his.
To make an extreme understatement, a lot happened since March.
With the season starting in July, Rodón was ready by the outset and was slotted into the rotation once Kopech made his decision to opt out. Lo and behold, the left-hander was sidelined again after two starts, and again questions surfaced as to how he fits in the White Sox plans moving forward.
Yes, with the recent poor performance by Reynaldo López and his non-coincidental demotion to Schaumburg, there is now a hole in the starting rotation. However, not only is the new question: will that spot go to Rodón — but should it?
With Aaron Bummer recently moved to the 45-day IL, a replacement must be made from within after a quiet deadline. Could Rodón be the best option for that replacement?
Murmurs have started that a move to the pen could be a possibility for Rodón. Granted, one of the mentions was made by another player – Dallas Keuchel – who compared Rodón’s upcoming return as possibly an Andrew Miller-like move to the pen. It would be weird for Keuchel to have brought that up out of thin air, so there may be some discussion going on behind closed doors.
While using Occam’s Razor, the highest likelihood for Rodón’s role will be to fill in for López when proven healthy, but let’s at least take a look at some potential comps for what a move to the pen could look like.
Starting with the guy Keuchel mentioned, the comparisons between Miller and Rodón are pretty easy to make. Miller was the sixth overall pick in the 2006 draft; Rodón the third in 2014. Miller was used primarily as a starter his first five seasons. At the very end of his fifth season, Miller was moved to the pen marking the end of his time as a starter. In 2012, the Red Sox were rewarded by the move as Miller posted a 3.17 FIP in his first season as a reliever.
Rodón is currently sitting at the end of his fifth season. Could the same move work? The sudden change shows that it can, at least in this instance, even shifting overnight. Miller went on to the most dominant reliever in the game, carrying a Cleveland team to a few outs from a World Series championship. While that is clearly the absolute ceiling of such a move, one can dream.
Perhaps a little more realistic of a target would be represented with what the Houston Astros did with Lance McCullers on their way to the 2017 title. McCullers missed all of August that season, and when he came back in September he was kept on a short leash and was rather ineffective.
When the ALDS began, McCullers was not a part of the rotation, but instead came out of the pen to grab innings in a blowout. He did start Game 4 of the ALCS, and was very good, but he made his mark in Game 7. McCullers entered in the sixth inning and recorded the final 12 outs, almost solely using his curveball, striking out six and helping his team move on to the World Series. McCullers went on to start two games in the World Series, but was essentially used as an Opener in Game 7 against the heavily left-handed Dodgers.
The interesting focus here is the Astros took one of their best weapons – another former first round pick – and used him outside the box on the path to the sport’s biggest goal. Thinking of what McCullers did to the Yankees in that World Series using only curveballs can let one dream on what Rodón may be able to do solely with his slider.
Aaron Bummer’s return does remain as one of the biggest question marks on the path for the White Sox to fulfill their greatest aspirations. If he isn’t able to return – and the White Sox choose not to move Rodón to the pen – the remaining options certainly do not jump off the page. Clearly replacing Bummer would be nearly impossible for any team, but doing something outside the box, like moving a former first-round starting pitcher to the pen might be the best chance. It’s been done before.
Photo credit: Ben Shapiro/FutureSox (2015)
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