Dylan Cease has arisen from lockout hibernation, and his arm still whips like a lingering winter wind.
The 26-year-old Georgia native spent four innings on the rubber last Wednesday as the Chicago White Sox routed the Rangers in a 7-0 shutout. Cease struck out three, while testing out his expanded arsenal of pitches.
Skipper Tony La Russa is counting on Cease, who had a string of breakout performances last season, to hold down the fort alongside pitching mainstay Lucas Giolito. In 2021, Cease led the American League in strikeouts per nine innings pitched with 12.