The Chicago White Sox is a team that has dealt with a lot of injuries this season. Every team in the league has injuries stacking up at a record level but it seems to be happening to the most important players on the White Sox more than any team. Michael Kopech is one of those important players on the shelf but it isn’t as serious as some of the offensive players.
The Chicago White Sox would receive a major boost if Michael Kopech comes back.
When Kopech is in the White Sox bullpen and available for spot starts, they are a significantly better baseball team. They could have really used him this past Sunday for the doubleheader but there will be plenty of opportunity for him. You can easily make the claim that he is the most talented pitcher in the entire organization.
Kopech threw a sim game on Friday and it went really well. After that, they announced that he would throw another one on Monday and see how he felt. Well, the word is that it went really well and he is nearing a return. They were using that second sim game to determine whether or not he needs a rehab stint in AAA or not but we don’t know that decision for sure yet.
All we got was a little bit of an update on him from Tony La Russa on Monday after they announced that the game was going to be rained out. Tony made it seem like what he saw was really good which is an incredibly encouraging sign. The White Sox will be a significantly better team once Kopech is thrown back into the mix of pitchers coming out of the bullpen.
This little stint on the IL could also be good for him in the long run. They certainly don’t need him getting hurt but they do need to manage his innings in 2021. All of this time off might allow them to turn him loose when the playoffs roll around if they make it. He could be a starter down the stretch if they wanted but the plan is more than likely to keep him doing exactly what he has been doing.
By 2022, Kopech should be a starter at the top of the White Sox rotation. He has clearly shown that he can do it. His ERA of 1.72 and WHIP of 0.989 tell you everything you need to know about his dominance this year. He also has 45 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched. If that version of him joins this team full-time again, they will be off and running.