Whither Micker?

Micker Adolfo had been noticeably muted in the hours leading up to the Chicago White Sox’s spring debut vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

And it was in fact pregame Friday when GM Rick Hahn revealed the reason for the Adolfo’s downtrodding: The outfielder’s right, throwing elbow has a sprained UCL and strained flexor tendon. The best-case scenario for recovery is six weeks of rehab.

“There is a decent chance that rehab will allow him the ample time to heal and put this behind him,” Hahn said. “If that does not work … surgery is an option. But we are not there yet.”

Kudos to Adolfo for reporting the injury, one that he could easily have tried to muscle through in the excitement of the spring season, and in a desire to prove he belongs alongside touted clouters Eloy JImenez and Yoan Moncada. The 21-year-old Adolfo also had brought some swagger to camp, sharing a vision of multiple championships with Jimenez.

Adolfo will be getting a second opinion on the injury and has fingers crossed that he won’t be missing big chunks of the season. Most prominently, the star-crossed slugger broke his fibula in 2015, causing him to miss about half of his Arizona League season.

“It’s tough,” Hahn said. “Certainly, he shouldn’t feel bad other than disappointed that his season’s going to be truncated because of some rotten luck. It’s a shame. The kid has fought back time and again. He still has plenty of time left in his pro career to put this behind him and continue on a positive development path.”

Adolfo has been younger than average at every stop of his professional career, including last season in A-ball with Kannapolis. In 112 games with the Intimidators, Adolfo had 16 homers and 68 RBI, slashing .264/.331/.453.

Hahn was able to brighten up over lefty starter Carlos Rodon’s recovery from offseason shoulder surgery. With the team proceeding cautiously with Rodon, he’s now advanced in his rehab to throwing up to 90 feet from a flat surface.

Rodon is “progressing nicely [and] feels good,” according to Hahn. “We’ve put together a throwing program for him through the remainder of the month, and that does not include him pitching in Cactus League games. His first competition will likely come in extended spring training, which will be followed by a rehab assignment, and his return to the major leagues continues to trend closer to the eight-month mark.”

I love Rodon in June; what about you?