White Sox right-hander underwent surgery to remove a cyst from his right knee this morning, per a club announcement. The rehab proce s is expected Ryan Braun Jersey to take six to eight weeks. A suming his recovery progre ses as anticipated, Kopech should have a normal offseason. Its neverthele s a sour conclusion to a disappointing year for the 27-year-old. The Sox surely hoped the one-time top prospect would take a step forward in his second full season as a big league starter. Kopech had pitched to a 3.54 ERA a year ago, and while his peripherals were never that impre sive, his performance regre sed well beyond expectations. Kopechs 2023 campaign concludes with a 5.43 ERA acro s 129 1/3 frames. His 22.7% strikeout rate was a bit above last years mark. Yet his walks spiked from an already worrisome 11.5% rate to a completely untenable 15.4% clip. Kopech also surrendered over two home runs per nine innings. Between the walks and the longballs, he has the highest FIP (6.47) of any pitcher with 100+ frames. Chicago kicked Kopech to the bullpen this month. He finished his season with three relief outings and a start as an opener in which he worked one inning. He allowed at least one run in each of those appearances. New general manager Chris Getz and his front office will have to decide Kopechs role this offseason. He was effective as a multi-inning reliever two seasons ago, tallying 69 1/3 frames of 3.50 ERA ball with an elite 36.1% strikeout rate and a decent 8.4% walk percentage. Since stretching back out into the rotation to open the 22 campaign, hes allowing 4.52 earned runs per nine with a 22% strikeout percentage and 13.6% walk rate. The Sox have almost no certainty in their starting five. is locked in as the staff ace, though hes coming off a relatively disappointing season himself on the heels of last years Cy Young runner-up performance. is likely to opt for a $4MM buyout over his end of a $12MM mutual option. and are better served for depth roles. has angled for a starting spot but only logged 10 MLB innings this year because of injury. That all seems to point to Kopech getting another crack at a rotation spot. Hell certainly need to perform better than he did this year if hes to hold that job for a full season. The 24 campaign will be his second season of arbitration eligibility. Kopech will receive a slight raise on this years $2.05MM salary (barring a surprise non-tender) and is on track for free agency after 2025. Joe Ross Jersey
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