White Sox right-handed reliever Jimmy Cordero underwent Tommy John surgery on Thursday, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The procedure was successful, though Cordero won’t pitch this year.
The hard-throwing Cordero, who appeared in the majors with the Nationals and Blue Jays from 2018-19, joined the White Sox as a waiver claim from the Mariners in the latter of those two seasons. He has since given the White Sox 62 2/3 innings of 4.16 ERA/3.95 SIERA pitching with a 55.1 percent groundball rate. Cordero struggled to keep runs off the board last year, when he logged a 6.07 ERA over 26 2/3 frames, but his peripherals indicated that he deserved better results.
While Cordero did lead the White Sox with 30 appearances in 2020, the 29-year-old was not a sure bet to earn a season-opening roster spot this spring, James Fegan of The Athletic notes. Chicago’s Cordero-less bullpen still boasts the likes of Liam Hendriks, Aaron Bummer, Evan Marshall, Matt Foster, Garrett Crochet, Codi Heuer and Michael Kopech.