Shane Smith: Everything you need to know

Smith will be sidelined at least a couple weeks after the White Sox announced Sunday that he suffered a right rotator cuff strain, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. Smith presumably sustained the injury during his previous start for Triple-A Charlotte last week, during which he fired two scoreless frames. The right-hander opened the campaign in the White Sox's rotation but was demoted in early April after surrendering 10 earned runs with a 11:9 K:BB through his first three starts.

The White Sox optioned Smith to Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday. Smith was Chicago's Opening Day starter but finds himself back in the minors after putting up a 10.80 ERA, 2.52 WHIP and 11:9 K:BB over 8.1 innings in his first three starts. The right-hander should rejoin the Chicago rotation eventually, but he will try to get sorted out at Charlotte first. Jonathan Cannon had been on the same schedule as Smith at Charlotte and could be recalled to take the latter's spot in the big-league rotation Sunday in Kansas City.

Smith (0-2) was tagged with the loss Wednesday against the Marlins after allowing eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits and two walks across three innings. He fanned one. Smith allowed four runs (three earned) and didn't even finish the second inning in his season debut against the Brewers on March 26, and while he at least completed three frames this time around, the results were even worse. The White Sox don't have a lot of depth in their rotation, so Smith isn't at risk of losing his spot any time soon, but the results have been pretty disappointing. Through two starts, he has allowed 12 runs (10 earned) on 11 hits and four walks while fanning three across 4.2 innings, which translates to a ballooned 19.29 ERA.