After having a solid 2021 season for the Chicago White Sox, veteran starting pitcher Lance Lynn will be starting this season on the injury list due to a right knee injury that he suffered in Spring Training.
Lance Lynn injury update
Lynn suffered a slight tear in his tendon by his right knee last weekend in a spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said that the veteran starting pitcher will be back throwing off a mound in four weeks and will need to be built up, per James Fegan of The Athletic.
Furthermore, the build-up/ramp-up will reportedly take another four weeks, so the Sox might not have Lynn until June. Chicago will miss Lynn’s presence on the mound for the first part of the season as it puts pressure on Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, Dallas Keuchel and whoever fills in his spot.
Last season, Lynn had a record of 11-6 and career-best 2.67 ERA in 28 starts. He also had 176 strikeouts in 157 innings pitched and finished third in AL Cy Young voting. Even though the White Sox will be without Lynn, they are the odds-on favorite (-195) to win the AL Central, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
Cease and Giolito showed last season that they can be depended on as top-tier starting pitchers. Cease led Chicago in wins (13), strikeouts (226), and had an ERA of 3.91 in his third season in the majors. Giolito struggled in the postseason, but in the regular season still put up 11 wins and 3.53 ERA through 32 starts. Those two pitchers will have to lead the charge, while the backend of the rotation has to make it through five innings pitched.