Chicago White Sox: Carlos Rodon will not pitch this weekend

The Chicago White Sox are hoping that the strength of their team going into the playoffs is their starting pitching. That has been the case all season long. A really big part of it has been the play of Carlos Rodon. He was supposed to be the number five guy this year but he has pitched himself into a much higher role than that. With Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, and Dylan Cease, they pretty much have four aces.

To manage Rodon this season, who hasn’t pitched a full MLB season in a very long time, they have been watching his innings down the stretch. He has experienced some tiredness in his arm which was the start of this load management.

On Thursday, Tony La Russa confirmed that Rodon will not be making a start this weekend against the Texas Rangers. They will use Cease, Lynn, and Giolito instead. La Russa also confirmed that Rodon will make his next start against the Detroit Tigers next week and it will be one of his final two starts.

There is nothing wrong with this decision made by the White Sox. They need all of their arms healthy and ready to go into the playoffs. They have already shown guys like Lynn and Giolito that they are willing to let them miss a start in order to get themselves feeling right. This should also help them set the rotation just the way they want it going into the playoffs.

Carlos Rodon has been sensational for the 2021 Chicago White Sox rotation.

It is impressive what Rodon has done this season. He isn’t going to reach the proper innings limit to be considered for the American League Cy Young Award but he has the numbers to support a claim. He is 12-5 with a 2.38 ERA and a 0.963 WHIP. He also has 175 strikeouts so you know his stuff has been magnificent. It has been a pleasure to watch.

His story makes it even better. The White Sox non-tendered him early during the last offseason before taking a chance on him later in the offseason. He came into spring training with a good attitude and he was brilliant.

If Rodon is healthy going into the postseason, there is a good chance that the White Sox make a deep postseason run. He has game-changing stuff but they need to make sure his arm is right. Having him make two more starts should be the fine line between rest and rust. Not letting him pitch against the Rangers and having him go against the Tigers should work out well for him.