Reynaldo López had his first audition to fill the ace-sized hole in the White Sox rotation on Wednesday. Based on how it went, he should be expecting a callback.

Carlos Rodón was placed on the 10-day injured list (left shoulder fatigue) prior to Chicago’s 1-0 loss to Minnesota at Target Field, and López plugged in for three scoreless innings. López, who was moved to the bullpen this season after 81 prior starts for the White Sox, looked right at home returning to a starting role.

• Box score

“I think overall he pitched well,” White Sox manager Tony La Russa said. “Had to rise to the occasion a couple times and he made pitches. It was just a well-pitched game, both sides, all day. Not many mistakes.”

López threw a season-high 51 pitches in Wednesday’s matinee, matching a season high with his three innings. He’ll need some time to build up his pitch count capability, but that should expand his next time out. He said he felt good, both mentally and physically, and La Russa added that López could probably add 12-15 pitches if he starts next time through the rotation.

Of course, the White Sox hope Rodón’s time away is minimal. Among pitchers with 100-plus innings, he ranks second in the American League with a 2.38 ERA (behind teammate Lance Lynn, 2.04) and first in strikeouts-per-nine rate (13.1). But Rodón has missed hundreds of potential innings due to shoulder issues since 2017, and La Russa called a minimum stay on the 10-day IL “overly optimistic” for the lefty.

• Field of Dreams Game on tap

Thus, López has an opportunity to fill a need. If all goes well, it looks like he’s their guy.

“I think we’re gonna watch closely,” La Russa said pregame. “I think he’s the best candidate. He’s proven to be a real asset out of that bullpen.”

López was a real asset as Wednesday’s starter, too, limiting the Twins to three baserunners. He did allow a leadoff double in the second inning, but the ball didn’t leave the infield after that: The next three Twins went down with a groundout, a popout and s strikeout.

In the third inning, López worked around a pair of walks by striking out two and nabbing Trevor Larnach with a pickoff at first. He’s tentatively slated to start on Tuesday against Oakland, but with an off-day on Friday, the White Sox can be creative with their rotation usage if they so choose.

“I just feel a little sad because of the situation with Carlos, but at the same time, you appreciate the opportunity that the team is giving you,” López said via translator. “I try to do my best.”

López set a trend for a day of staff-wide excellence. Five pitchers combined to allow just one run (a solo homer by Jorge Polanco off José Ruiz) on four hits in eight innings, with 12 strikeouts.

That’s a flash of the bright side for the White Sox: Rodón is a major loss, no matter how long he’s out. But both the rotation and the bullpen are among the deepest in the league.

Garrett Crochet -- who enjoyed his first multi-inning appearance since mid-June on Wednesday -- owns a sub-3.00 ERA, as do Liam Hendriks and Michael Kopech. Aaron Bummer hasn’t allowed a run in his past seven outings.

Oh, and Ryan Tepera (2.76 ERA) came over at the Trade Deadline, along with vintage Craig Kimbrel (1.09 ERA). How fair is that?

“Having this much talent in one bullpen is definitely a great problem to have,” Crochet said.

Rodón's progress will be monitored closely, but it’s reasonable to expect this group to hold down the fort in his absence. It did its part Wednesday, but an uncharacteristically quiet effort from the offense held the White Sox down.

Still, a 4-2 road trip looks pretty good in the standings. Next stop is Dyersville, Iowa, for Thursday night’s Field of Dreams Game.