Rodon to be skipped with neck discomfort

CHICAGO -- Carlos Rodon will have his start skipped Thursday after feeling a little bit of discomfort in his neck, which extended down into the biceps area of his left arm, per general manager Rick Hahn's comments on Tuesday.
Rodon was examined on Monday, including MRIs taken of his neck and biceps area, and everything looked pretty clean.
"Nothing in terms of long-term concern, but we're going to err on the side of caution, especially given the fact that we now have James [Shields] in the rotation," Hahn said. "Carlos is not real happy about the decision.
"He feels he's good to go. But as we preached for a long time around here -- you saw with Chris Sale on a few occasions over the course of the early parts of his career -- we're going to err on the side of caution and push Carlos back."
Hahn described the issue as muscular and something the southpaw brought up to White Sox head athletic trainer Herm Schneider on Sunday after he worked six innings Friday in Detroit. He'll do some light throwing in the coming days, with Miguel Gonzalez taking his rotation spot. But the White Sox view this more as giving Rodon an extended rest during his first full season of starting.
"He's a tough kid," said White Sox manager Robin Ventura of Rodon, who is 2-5 with a 4.41 ERA over 11 starts this season. "He doesn't like missing starts or anything like that, but this is in his best interest, being able to take care of him. You know it's going to happen. The concerns he had the other day, you check it out and make sure he's OK."
"Again, we think this is a temporary thing," Hahn said. "This is more coming from the guys not in uniform slowing him down than from Carlos."
White Sox make moves
The White Sox reinstated outfielder Melky Cabrera from the family emergency leave list and added Shields to the 25-man roster on Tuesday, with the right-hander scheduled to make his White Sox debut Wednesday. They also optioned outfielder Jason Coats to Triple-A Charlotte and designated utility man Jerry Sands for assignment.

"Jerry never had a chance to get into a flow," Hahn said. "He has historically hit lefties well, but we haven't faced too many along the way. He never really got into a rhythm. He's going to help someone off the bench, I believe, facing lefties.
"If he happens to clear waivers and end up in Charlotte, it could be us at the end of the year, or someone may pick him up in the coming days."
With Rodon inactive for the week, the White Sox are going with 13 pitchers and are one bench player short.
Robertson gives back
David Robertson and his wife, Erin, in conjunction with their foundation, High Socks for Hope, hosted a casino night Monday at the Palmer House in Chicago. Many of Robertson's teammates attended the event, as did Ventura and White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
Proceeds from the evening, which included silent and live auctions, benefit a High Socks For Hope program in Chicago for veterans with Alzheimer's Disease called Bringing Art to Life Chicago, as well as long-term disaster relief in Aliceville, Ala.
"It's a wonderful organization, helping these men get back on their feet," Robertson said. "Better their lives through art."