GLENDALE, ARIZ. — The Chicago White Sox will be without right-hander Lance Lynn for an extended time after an MRI revealed a slight tear in a tendon by his right knee, general manager Rick Hahn said Sunday.
Lynn had been a leading candidate to start opening day for the Sox on Friday in Detroit.
“Lance will have about a 30-minute procedure Tuesday in Chicago to remove or repair whatever tear is in there,” Hahn said. “He then will be off a mound again in about four weeks, and of course there will be a process to build him back up.
“Once he’s back off the mound we’ll have a better estimation, but in all probability it’s going take four weeks after that to get him back up to game readiness in Chicago.”
Lynn hobbled off the mound after throwing a pitch to Corbin Carroll in the fourth inning of Saturday night’s Cactus League game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
Hahn said the setback is similar to the one catcher Yasmani Grandal experienced last season. Grandal was out from July 6 to Aug. 27 with a torn left knee tendon.
Lynn, 34, finished third in American League Cy Young Award voting last season, his first with the Sox. He signed a two-year, $38 million extension in July.
He went 11-6 with a 2.69 ERA in 28 starts after joining the team in an offseason trade with the Texas Rangers. He was on the injured list from Aug. 29 to Sept. 10 last season with right knee inflammation.
“He’s had some discomfort there obviously going back to last year, cost him a couple of starts,” Hahn said. “This was the first time whatever was apparently ailing him gave and led to a tear. Ideally going forward we address the issue here, and similar to (Grandal) we leave it behind us going forward.”
Manager Tony La Russa said the Sox were going through a variety of pitching scenarios Sunday.
“It’s unfortunate that we have to spend the first several weeks without Lance,” Hahn said. ”It’s not anything that will likely be unique to us in terms of the unique season we have ahead of us, and it’s an opportunity for some of the other arms we’ll be carrying with the expanded roster to fill some of that void.”
Before word of the injury became official, La Russa said he was holding off until Monday on naming a starter for Friday’s opener against the Tigers at Comerica Park. All signs point to Lucas Giolito getting the nod.
Lynn and Giolito had been the likeliest options to start the opener. Giolito, who has received AL Cy Young Award votes in each of the last three seasons, started the last two openers.
He made his final start of spring training Sunday, allowing four earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and three walks in 4⅔ innings against the Colorado Rockies at Camelback Ranch.
Giolito allowed four earned runs and struck out 13 in 11⅓ innings this spring and said he’s ready if called on for the opener.
“That’s what I prefer is that normal rest,” he said. “Having the extra day can be useful sometimes and it’s definitely there throughout the course of the season with off days and things like that. It’s good for managing. But I like that normal five-day schedule.”
Lynn’s injury comes a couple of days after the Sox announced reliever Garrett Crochet needs Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire season.
“It’s part of the game,” Hahn said. “We have a very deep and talented roster. Like every club we’re going to face some adversity in the next seven months. The strength of the talent of that roster and strength of character of the men in that clubhouse and coaches room will serve us well as we navigate whatever lies ahead.
“You never like to lose a player as talented as Lance for any period of time. You don’t want to lose a guy like Garrett Crochet for any stretch either. But these things happen in baseball. We enter this season with an extremely strong, talented and deep roster and look forward to get going in earnest later this week.”
