MLB
White Sox phenom Michael Kopech needs Tommy John surgery; money still expected on Chicago in '19
White Sox phenom Michael Kopech needs Tommy John surgery; money still expected on Chicago in '19
Hard-throwing righty Michael Kopech was like a shooting star through the White Sox' season. He flashed in the night sky with his 105 mph stuff, and then was gone before some people could even see him.
Hard-throwing righty Michael Kopech was like a shooting star through the White Sox' season. He flashed in the night sky with his 105 mph stuff, and then was gone before some people could even see him.
They won't have another opportunity to until 2020.
The 22-year-old is headed for Tommy John surgery due to a "rather significant tear" in the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow, [according to MLB.com](https://www.mlb.com/whitesox/news/michael-kopech-headed-for-tommy-john-surgery/c-293714030), meaning he'll be on the shelf all of next season.
"To say it's unexpected would be an understatement," Kopech said. "It sucks. That's it. It sucks."
The White Sox' No. 2 prospect behind Eloy Jimenez, Kopech, who Chicago acquired when they traded Chris Sale to Boston, made only four starts [since he was called up not even three weeks ago](https://www.betchicago.com/white-sox-promote-prospect-michael-kopech).
He allowed only one run in his first three outings (totaling 11 innings) before his former team, the Red Sox, gave him his "Welcome to the big leagues" moment on Wednesday, lighting him up for seven runs, with four homers, in 3 1/3 innings.
Even in that start, though, Kopech showed glimpses of his abundant talent, with six of the 10 outs he recorded coming on strikeouts.
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While news of this injury is certainly a bummer for White Sox fans, [bookmakers remain optimistic](https://www.betchicago.com/oddsmaker-expects-sharp-bettors-on-the-white-sox-in-2019) about South Siders in 2019.
When asked is he's still bullish on the next year's White Sox in light of the Kopech injury, Westgate manager Ed Salmons wrote in a text message: "I think the White Sox will be an OVER wins team next year."
The White Sox have 56 wins entering Saturday with 21 games to play, so they'd need to go 17-4 to go OVER their 72.5 season win total. Highly unlikely.
They've already clinched their sixth straight losing season.
So while Friday's news is certainly sobering, White Sox fans know things could always be worse.
2018-09-08T03:26:55.042Z2018-09-07T23:31-04:00