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Dugout stumble lands key White Sox pitcher on disabled list

Mark Townsend
·Yahoo Sports Contributor
The White Sox lost Carlos Rodon to the DL after a freak fall int he dugout. (AP)
The White Sox lost Carlos Rodon to the DL after a freak fall in the dugout. (AP)

For the most part, Friday night was a night the Chicago White Sox would like to forget.

Sure, they made a little history, becoming the first MLB team since 1979 to turn three triple plays in a single season. However, they still managed to lose to the last-place Atlanta Braves, due in large part to All-Star and ace Chris Sale having his worst outing of the season. And they also lost a key member of their rotation to the disabled list after a freak fall in the dugout.

As we learned early Saturday, the White Sox have placed left-hander Carlos Rodon on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left wrist.

Rodon says he suffered the injury slipping on the dugout steps while getting into position for the National Anthem prior to Friday’s game. As a result, he’ll be forced to wear a brace for 7-10 days.

“I caught myself with my left hand and it didn’t work out too well for me,” Rodon said prior to Saturday’s game. “Very frustrating. Just a bad break. There’s nothing you can do.”

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Well, it may actually be a good break considering there are no breaks in Rodon’s pitching hand or wrist. Given that the injury happened right before the All-Star break, it’s hoped that he’ll only miss one start, though obviously with his pitching arm being involved they’ll be very cautious too.

Rodon last pitched for the White Sox on Tuesday, allowing six runs (five earned) over five innings in a 9-0 loss to the New York Yankees. Thanks to an off day on Thursday, he was not scheduled to pitch again during the first half.

Overall, the 23-year-old has had an up and down sophomore season following his impressive rookie campaign. He’ll finish the first half with a 2-7 record and a 4.50 ERA over 16 starts and 92 innings.

Perhaps a quick breather would do Rodon some good personally, but the White Sox don’t have many options beyond the top three of Sale, Jose Quintana and James Shields. In other words, when Rodon is deemed healthy, he’ll be right back out there for manager Robin Ventura.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!