White Sox right-hander Shane Smith ready to find his 'consistent' form after All-Star break

PITTSBURGH — At All-Star festivities this week in Atlanta, White Sox right-hander Shane Smith finally could take a break and appreciate his accomplishments.

After wowing Sox officials in spring training with his uptick in velocity, Smith became the second Rule 5 player to be named an All-Star in the year after his selection.

Smith brushed shoulders with some of the best players in the game and made sure to soak in the moment, especially when he was taken out by Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre, who gave the American League team a pregame speech as an honorary coach on manager Aaron Boone’s staff.

‘‘I had no idea,’’ Smith said. ‘‘I was not seeing that coming at all. He said, ‘Way to bounce back,’ and gave some words of encouragement as I walked off.’’

But with the Midsummer Classic behind him, Smith now must turn his attention to the Sox and finish out what has the makings of another 100-loss season. For the rebuild to inch closer to its next step, Smith and his fellow young players must show improvement.

After putting together a 2.05 ERA in his first nine starts, Smith has faltered. His ERA has spiked to 7.04 in his last nine starts and sits at 4.26 for the season.

‘‘[I’m] focusing on making sure I’m doing everything I did at the beginning [of the season],’’ Smith said. ‘‘Whether it’s midweek work, bullpen or [in the] training room. [I] want to get back on a roll [and] start getting consistent outings.’’

After the All-Star break last season, the Sox shortened the outings of their former ace, Garrett Crochet, as he blew past his career high in innings pitched. There appears to be no such limitation for Smith, who already has thrown 86⅔ innings. (His career high is 94⅓.)

Manager Will Venable described the rotation situation as ‘‘fluid.’’

‘‘We are going to take this one rotation cycle at a time and figure out the best thing for that rotation cycle as far as what it means for these guys’ usage and the chances for us to do the best thing to win the game,’’ Venable said.

The Sox don’t have many alternatives. Their relievers entered play Friday with the second-most innings thrown among bullpens, just behind the Dodgers, who have seen their rotation ravaged by injuries.

Although the Sox will be monitoring their young pitchers’ workload, it’s also crucial for their development to endure a full season.

There’s no substitute for experience, and Smith took advantage by picking the brains of Crochet and Tigers ace Tarik Skubal at the All-Star Game because all three pitchers rely heavily on their fastball. Smith also wanted to know how to balance pitching to his strengths and pivoting away from a game plan.

Though Smith limped into the All-Star break, he was among the Sox’ few bright spots. For fans to be optimistic about the progress of the continuing rebuild, the Sox will need positive play from their young players.

‘‘You see a lot of teams that go through a rebuild, and I think everybody wants it to happen overnight,’’ designated hitter Andrew Benintendi said. ‘‘And the guys that have been called up and guys [who] still need minors, it’s a start. We’re years into this rebuild now, where guys [are] coming and just learning the game.

‘‘The more games a rookie plays, then the more they learn and can make the team better, make themselves better.’’