With the bombshell announcement that the White Sox will be without Michael Kopech for the rest of the season and 2019, the team now has to fill his spot in the rotation.
It appears that the White Sox have already found someone to replace the 22-year-old right-handed hurler.
In a recent announcement from several sources, the Sox have added Rob Scahill to the roster. The 31-year-old pitcher has been a life-long fan of the ChiSox according to an article by Chris Kue with the Chicago Tribune. It makes sense as Scahill attended high school in Villa Park and college in Peoria.
Scahill has been in the White Sox organization for one season as a relief pitcher with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. He has pitched in 60.2 innings and has an ERA of 5.64 ERA. But, he has also seen plenty of time in the MLB with the Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Milwaukee Brewers.
Scahill has said about himself:
"“What I do well is keep the ball down and get ground balls,” said Scahill, who was drafted by the Rockies in the eighth round in 2009 and made his big-league debut Sept. 11, 2012. “I just have to keep attacking the zone and letting the defense work. There is an opportunity here to make the team. I just need to do what I do well and make the decision as hard as I can for them.”"
Most likely, Scahill will not be starting, as he hasn’t started any games in his time in the Majors. What will most likely happen is that Dylan Covey will move out of the bullpen and into the rotation.
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Covey was relegated to the bullpen after 17 starts that included 87.1 innings and an ERA of 5.87. His BABIP in those starts was .318. He has had five relief outings since Kopech was added to the rotation and Covey’s numbers have greatly improved. In those five outings, his ERA has been 0.96 in 9.1 innings. His BABIP is .250.
Scahill will most likely not become a regular member of the 2019 White Sox pen. With three weeks left in the regular season, the Sox – as a whole – do not have much left to prove. The team is what the team is as the season starts to come to a close.
Kopech’s Tommy John announcement forced the team to make changes to the 2019 plans. And, it appeared to open up a big opportunity to Covey to pitch is way back to a rotation spot. It looks like it just might be his to win or lose.