There is bad news on the Michael Kopech injury front

The Chicago White Sox are getting ready for a big week of games in a division race. Unfortunately, it will be without one of their best young pitchers as Michael Kopech is going to be out for a while. He was injured before the first inning of Monday’s makeup game against the Kansas City Royals.

Kopech should have never thrown a pitch in the game. It was so obvious that he was injured during his warmups but Tony La Russa and his staff didn’t make a smart decision. Not only did they put Kopech’s health at risk, but they also hurt their chances to win the baseball game.

Kopech left and the White Sox exited the first inning in a 4-0 hole because of this bad decision. His velocity was way down and he had no command. The Royals took full advantage of this mistake by La Russa and held on for the 6-4 victory.

Now, the White Sox will have to play without Kopech for a while because of this injury. He has been placed by the White Sox on the 15-Day Injured List. In his absence, the White Sox have called up Tanner Banks from AAA Charlotte.

Michael Kopech has hit the Injured List and recalled Tanner Banks from AAA.

The White Sox are calling this injury a knee strain. He was clearly able to pitch through pain but he didn’t have the stuff that we know he can bring. Hopefully, this isn’t something that causes him to miss much more time than those 15 days. If they want the playoffs, they need him.

The entire bullpen was used over the nine innings in the game following Kopech’s inability to get a single out. Tanner Banks gets the tap for this one so he can be a left-handed option out of the bullpen in this series with the Baltimore Orioles.

Kopech’s next scheduled start was on Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Don’t be surprised if Banks is sent back down to AAA ahead of that game in favor of Davis Martin so he can start that game. If that ends up being the course of action, it will be a smart move.

Until then, the White Sox need their best from Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Dylan Cease, and Johnny Cueto. This has the potential to be a great rotation. If they get Kopech back and are still in the race, he will be a big boost for them going into the final weeks of the season.