Michael Kopech is trying to get back to the majors, and he’s doing it after a long stretch of injuries and uncertainty that stalled a career once loaded with promise.
The former White Sox right-hander is set to throw for teams this Saturday, according to Bruce Levine, who cited Ken Rosenthal’s initial report. Levine also noted that Kopech last pitched in September of 2025 and that knee recovery has been the focus of his rehab. After sitting out all of 2026, Kopech is aiming for a big league return in 2027.
Kopech’s path with the White Sox was never short on intrigue. Chicago acquired him in the December 2016 trade that sent Chris Sale to Boston and also brought Yoan Moncada to the White Sox. Boston had drafted him 33rd overall in 2014, and the raw stuff that made him such a prized arm was obvious from the start.
He reached the majors with the White Sox in late 2018, but the first chapter was cut short quickly. In his first four starts, Kopech allowed eight earned runs over 14.1 innings, good for a 5.02 ERA, while striking out 15 batters and walking just two. Then came the elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery.
That wiped out his entire 2019 season, and Kopech then opted out of 2020 because of COVID. When he returned in 2021, the White Sox used him out of the bullpen, and he delivered a 3.50 ERA over 69.1 innings. A year later, Chicago pushed him into the rotation, where he posted a 3.54 ERA across 25 starts.
The hope was that 2023 would be the year he finally turned the corner. Instead, he struggled to a 5.43 ERA in 129.1 innings, and the White Sox sent him back to the bullpen for 2024. He made 43 relief appearances that season and finished with a 4.74 ERA while battling command issues.
Chicago then included him in the deadline deal that sent Erick Fedde to the Cardinals and Miguel Vargas to the White Sox. Kopech landed with the Dodgers and immediately found a better groove, putting up a 1.13 ERA in 24 appearances as Los Angeles went on to win the World Series.
But the momentum didn’t last. Kopech was expected to be a key bullpen piece for the Dodgers in 2025, yet shoulder and knee injuries limited him to just 11 games. He became a free agent last offseason, never signed, and did not pitch in 2026.
Now 30, Kopech will try to convince clubs he’s healthy enough to help again. A team is unlikely to view him as a starter at this point, but his stuff has always made him a candidate to be a useful late-inning reliever. For a club looking for a low-cost arm with upside, he could still be appealing.
The decision may come down to opportunity. Kopech could choose between a bigger role on a rebuilding club or a smaller one on a contender. With a World Series ring already in hand, he may be willing to take the best chance available, wherever it comes from.
For the White Sox, Kopech remains a reminder of how much was supposed to go right - and how little of it actually did. He flashed the kind of talent that kept people believing, even if he never fully became the front-line starter Chicago hoped for.
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