After his first start of the spring, Lance Lynn was asked about his right knee, which had bothered him at points of the 2021 season.
Lynn offered one of his characteristic quips in response: "Still attached."
He might have to elaborate on his condition for the foreseeable future, at least if he wants to assuage doubts. During a laborious outing against the Diamondbacks on Saturday, Lynn's knee acted up and forced him out of the game.
The White Sox called it right knee discomfort with further evaluation to come tomorrow, and here's a case where everybody is going to hold their breath.
Sure, the White Sox dodged one discomfort bullet when Andrew Vaughn's hip injury merely turned out to be a hip pointer. The odds of the White Sox going 2-for-2 with relatively good news seem slim given Lynn's history with that particular part of his body, with hope resting on the fact that he left the field under his own power. Lynn went on the 10-day injured list with right knee inflammation at the end of last August, but with the White Sox's cushion, it was regarded as more of a precautionary move, and Lynn did what he could to downplay it the rest of the way.
Everybody will have to address this more soberly going forward, because Lynn's presence was supposed to make a Dallas Keuchel rebound less pressing, and Michael Kopech's transition to the rotation easier to accommodate. Any development that requires Reynaldo López to be in the mix on Day One is not particularly welcome.
If you're looking for any positive signs, Lynn didn't pitch as poorly as his line (3.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) indicated, as some ragged defense in the second inning extended what should've been a perfect inning. We also have pitch data for this game, and while Lynn's velocity was down a tick against last season's average, there's nothing about his in-game readings that suggest his body was on borrowed time.
If Vaughn's close call inspired Rick Hahn to go out and trade for AJ Pollock, then maybe whatever scare Lynn's exit provided could serve as inspiration for one of Oakland's multiple starters on the block. Just don't listen to Phil Rogers' recommended price.
