Chicago White Sox right-hander Mike Clevinger left Wednesday night’s game against the host Los Angeles Dodgers with an apparent injury to his pitching arm.
With runners on the corners and two outs in the fifth inning, Clevinger threw a 1-2 fastball that J.D. Martinez fouled off and Clevinger immediately began flexing his arm. The White Sox coaches and training staff came out to the mound and manager Pedro Grifol signaled to the bullpen as soon as he made it to the mound.
Gregory Santos relieved Clevinger and struck out Martinez on his first pitch to maintain the White Sox’s 2-0 lead. Clevinger, who threw 77 pitches, gave up three hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
After a promising start to his career, the 32-year-old Clevinger has struggled to stay healthy in recent years. He went 42-22 in four-plus seasons in Cleveland to start his career, winning at least 12 games in each of his first three full seasons.
Cleveland traded him to San Diego in August 2020 but, after helping the Padres down the stretch to make the playoffs, tore a UCL in the playoffs. After missing all of the 2021 season after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery (he also underwent the procedure in the minor leagues in 2012), injuries to his knee and triceps, along with COVID-19, cost him some time last season.
He signed with the White Sox as a free agent before this season and was 3-4 with a 4.19 ERA in 11 starts entering Wednesday.
In all, Clevinger is 54-34 with a 3.45 ERA in 139 career games, with 125 starts.
–Field Level Media