Former top prospect and Chicago White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech has found a ton of success since being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers last July.
Kopech was part of a three-team trade that also included starting pitcher Erick Fedde and veteran outfielder Tommy Pham being sent to the St. Louis Cardinlas. The White Sox got a package of prospects headlined by Miguel Vargas and Jeral Perez.
After the trade, Kopech became a reliable high-leverage reliever for Los Angeles. He appeared in 24 games with the Dodgers and pitched to a 1.13 ERA with six saves. He also became a World Series champion and appeared in 12 playoff games.
White Sox fans always knew that Kopech had it in him to be dominant. As much as it hurt seeing him in another uniform, it was nice to see him having success and living up to his potential.
Kopech's nightmare rehab start
Unfortunately, 2025 hasn't been as kind to the former White Sox flamethrower. Kopech started the season on the 15-day Injured List with a right shoulder injury. Earlier this week, he was transferred to the 60-day Injured List, but the Dodgers did send him to the minor leagues for his first rehab assignment.
Dave Roberts said that Kopech would need to make 4-5 rehab appearances before calling him back up would be a possibility, but maybe he's further away from returning than the organization thought.
In his first rehab start with the Triple-A Oklahoma City, Kopech faced five batters and walked them all. He threw 23 pitches in total and only three of them were strikes...That's about as bad as it can get for a starting pitcher.
The issue with Kopech has always been his command. The stuff is overwhelming, but anytime Kopech has struggled in his MLB career, it is because he is getting behind hitters, putting guys on for free, and relying too heavily on his fastball.
Hopefully this is just the rust showing through. Thankfully, Kopech will have plenty of time and at least a few more outings in AAA to get right before the Dodgers activate him.
My hope is that this nightmare start in the minor leagues doesn't hurt his confidence and effect him moving forward. I think most White Sox fans would agree that we'd like to see Kopech thrive regardless of what jersey he is wearing.