GLENDALE, Ariz. — A little rain may have cancelled the White Sox split-squad games on Tuesday, but it didn’t stop left-hander Carlos Rodon from getting a throwing session in.
Rodon, who was supposed to pitch against the Mariners, stayed on scheduled and threw an estimated 85 pitches in the batting cages.
While most pitchers would prefer the game-day atmosphere, Rodon said he feels he gets more out of simulated games.
“[It’s] better than throwing in the game because I can get the input from the catcher and the hitter as far as where I need to start pitches, where they need to end up and what it looks like coming out of my hand,” he said.
Manager Rick Renteria said he’ll announce the Sox’ rotation next week and indicated it’ll be similar to what’s been largely speculated. Rodon is expected to be this year’s Opening Day starter. Reynaldo Lopez, Ivan Nova and Lucas Giolito will likely follow.
The Sox won’t need to make a decision for the fifth spot of the rotation because they have several days off in their first few weeks of the season. Right-hander Ervin Santana seems to be a front-runner to hold that spot, though it’s unlikely he’ll be ready to pitch at the start of the season since he hasn’t thrown in a Cactus League game yet. If Santana isn’t equipped by the time the Sox need a fifth starter, then left-hander Manny Banuelos will likely hold down the fort.
Banuelos, who was traded in the Sox in November, is a probable pitcher for Wednesday’s game against the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch in Glendale. He’ll likely be up against right-hander Ross Striplings. First pitch is scheduled for 9:05 p.m.
Navigating catcher situation
With catcher Omar Narvaez out of the picture since he was traded in November, Renteria still hasn’t quite figured out what he’s going to do with the situation behind the plate.
The Sox signed catcher James McCann to a one-year deal to add depth. Him and Welington Castillo, who played in the second most games as a catcher for the Sox last season, have gotten their fair share of time catching Sox pitchers.
After evaluating them for the first three weeks of spring training, Renteria believes there’s a good chance McCann and Castillo will share time behind the plate.
“Those two guys are pretty good at what they do,” Renteria said. “[We’ll] continue to find combos that work well.”
