CHICAGO – Chicago White Sox top pitching prospect Michael Kopech has an injured right elbow and probably will need Tommy John surgery that will cause him to be sidelined through the 2019 season.
White Sox general manager Rick Hahn made the announcement on Friday.
The 22-year-old Kopech – who was a key piece of the trade that brought Chris Sale to the Red Sox – was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Aug. 21 and made four starts with the White Sox, going 1-1 with a 5.02 ERA. Although two of the right-hander’s first three starts were shortened by rain, the 6-foot-3 Kopech was impressive in all three, allowing just one run in 11 innings.
Before his last start, on Wednesday against Detroit, the hard-throwing Kopech had trouble getting loose during his warmups. He allowed seven runs on nine hits in 3⅓ innings in the loss, then reported discomfort in his arm to the team on Thursday.
Tests on Friday “revealed a rather significant tear in his ulnar collateral ligament,” Hahn said. Kopech will get a second opinion in the next few days.
Although Kopech’s velocity dipped against Detroit, the righty thought he was just experiencing stiffness. He couldn’t recall a pop or abrupt onset of the injury and was surprised by the diagnosis.