Injury Stalls Shane Smith’s Comeback Attempt as White Sox Rotation Finds Its Groove
It’s been a rough start to the season for Shane Smith. After earning the Opening Day nod for the Chicago White Sox, he was quickly demoted to Triple-A Charlotte just three starts into the season, and now, he’s dealing with another setback.
On Sunday, it was reported that Smith had suffered a right rotator cuff strain, which put him out of commission for several weeks.
While the shoulder issue could have been a factor in his early struggles, the timing couldn’t be worse for Smith as he works to regain his footing. Command issues that plagued him early in the season have followed him to Triple-A Charlotte, where he’s posted a 5.27 ERA over 13.2 innings, recording 18 strikeouts but also issuing eight walks.
Those issues were on full display in his final start against the Baltimore Orioles. While Shane Smith looked nearly unhittable at times, in part because nearly half his pitches missed the strike zone, he struggled to find consistency. He tossed 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out eight, but five walks drove his pitch count up to 99 and cut his outing short.
In Smith’s first three starts, the White Sox bullpen was forced to eat a combined 17 innings, with just one of those outings lasting past the third inning. Not exactly what the White Sox had in mind when they named Smith their Opening Day starter.
Smith’s stuff has never been in question, but his four-seam fastball, which was his highest graded pitch when he was named an All-Star last season, has betrayed him. Despite using his fastball in nearly half of his offerings, he was limiting opponents to a .192 average and had a Run Value of 20. This season, hitters still aren’t doing much damage against his fastball, but largely because too many of them aren’t competitive. As a result, the fastball’s impact has slipped, with its Run Value dropping to -1.
By sending Smith to the minor leagues, he has an opportunity to tweak some things in a less pressurized environment without being a detriment to the White Sox pitching staff. But the injury not only further delays any tweaks that Smith can make, but it also makes his road back to the big leagues a bit tougher.
The White Sox starting rotation has not only held up surprisingly well in Smith’s absence, but has thrived. Entering Tuesday, the rotation owned a 3.53 ERA, the fifth-best mark in the MLB.
Smith now faces a situation where a spot in the rotation may be hard to come by. Noah Schultz looks like a legitimate future ace, Davis Martin is putting together an All-Star-worthy season, and Sean Burke has tossed 13 consecutive scoreless innings. Erick Fedde has also provided a steady veteran presence at the back end of the rotation, posting a 3.24 ERA across 33.1 innings.
Currently, Anthony Kay looks like the weakest link in the rotation, but with Smith on the shelf, Hagen Smith appears to be next in line for a promotion. That’s not to say that Shane Smith won’t get another opportunity with the big league club this season, but the setback comes at an inopportune time for the 26-year-old.