Chicago White Sox: Who Should Replace Carlos Rodon?
By Jeremy Karll
Dylan Covey
Dylan Covey has never pitched above AA, but he seems like the most realistic option for the White Sox. Chicago drafted him in the Rule-5 draft this year; therefore, he needs to stay on the major league roster the whole season if the Sox want to keep him. The last time Chicago did this was with catcher Adrian Nieto in 2014.
While the Sox need to keep him on their 25-man roster, it does come with some obvious concerns. For starters, even if he had a 1.84 ERA over six starts in AA last season, the only time he has faced anything close to MLB equivalent batters came in Spring Training.
The good news is that Covey didn’t pitch terribly in three starts this spring, especially on Saturday against the Cleveland Indians when he knew he was potentially pitching for a rotation spot. His ERA inflated to 6.94 because of a couple of bad relief outings, but his ERA as a starter is just 3.24.
Here’s a look at his three starts during Spring Training:
- @San Diego: 2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H
- @Texas: 2.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 K, 1 BB
- @Cleveland: 3.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 3 K, 1 BB
He might struggle in the regular season, but he put together a solid spring for a player who has never pitched above AA. That should instill at least a little confidence in the White Sox. Besides, it ultimately makes sense if he’s already going to be on the 25-man roster.