Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Shaky so far in rehab stint
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Kopech (knee) has tossed two rehab outings with Triple-A Oklahoma City, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three batters over 1.2 combined innings.
Kopech particularly struggled in his first rehab appearance with OKC on Aug. 14, as he gave up three runs and uncorked two wild pitches along with his two walks. Though the veteran reliever was better two days later in his second outing -- he fanned two batters in a scoreless frame -- he issued another free pass and threw just 12 of 24 pitches for strikes. Kopech is on the 60-day IL and isn't eligible to be activated until Aug. 27, so he should have multiple more minor-league outings to try to straighten out his control and shake off lingering rust.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Beginning assignment Thursday
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Kopech (knee) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Kopech will be pitching in a competitive setting for the first time since he landed on the injured list July 1 due to a torn meniscus, which required surgery. The Dodgers haven't revealed how many minor-league appearances the 29-year-old will need before being activated, though he could be ready to rejoin the Los Angeles bullpen by the end of the month.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Nearing rehab stint
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Kopech (knee) threw a live batting practice session Monday and could be sent on a rehab assignment soon, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
It sounds like the team may wait a day or two to make sure Kopech made it out of Monday's live BP session without any setbacks before sending him on a rehab stint. The right-hander was originally placed on the 15-day injured list July 1 and then transferred to the 60-day IL due to a torn right meniscus, and he appears on track for a late-August return if all continues to go well in his rehab.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Ready to face hitters
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Kopech (knee) will face hitters in live batting practice Monday in Anaheim, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
After making it out of his recent string of bullpen sessions no worse for the wear, Kopech is ready to move on to the next phase of his rehab program as he bounces back from a right knee meniscectomy. The right-hander will likely need to face hitters at least once more after Monday before the Dodgers map out a rehab assignment for him. Kopech is eligible to return from the 60-day injured list in late August and could be ready to rejoin the Los Angeles bullpen by that time if he steers clear of any setbacks over the next couple of weeks.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Throwing side sessions
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Kopech (knee) tossed a bullpen session Friday and could be close to facing hitters, MLB.com reports.
Kopech has been shelved due to a torn meniscus in his right knee since late June. He's currently on the 60-day injured list and isn't eligible to be activated until the final week of the August. Nonetheless, he appears to be making progress in his recovery and may be ready for a minor-league rehab stint in the not-too-distant future.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Begins throwing
Rotowire
Kopech (knee) began a throwing program Saturday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Kopech underwent surgery in early July to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. He moved to the 60-day IL shortly afterward, so he isn't eligible to rejoin the active roster until Aug. 27, but the 29-year-old reliever said Saturday that he's optimistic he'll be ready by then.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Diagnosed with torn meniscus
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Kopech (knee) underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus this week, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
This helps explain the Dodgers' decision to transfer Kopech to the 60-day IL earlier Wednesday. The good news for Los Angeles is that Kopech is still expected back before the end of the season, though he isn't eligible to return until late August. Kopech is among six Dodgers relievers to currently occupy a spot on the 60-day injured list.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Heads to IL again
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The Dodgers placed Kopech on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with right knee inflammation, retroactive to June 28.
Kopech returned from a shoulder impingement injury June 8 but finds himself back on the injured list with a different injury. The right-hander had been stellar in his return to action as he made eight appearances and allowed zero runs across seven innings. With the 29-year-old heading back to the injured list, Will Klein was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Slated to return this weekend
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that there's a "good possibility" Kopech (shoulder) will rejoin the active roster this weekend, Benjamin Royer of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Kopech has been sidelined all season, first with right forearm inflammation and more recently a right shoulder impingement. After some initial struggles on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Kopech has been unscored upon in four of his last five appearances. The hard-throwing righty is likely to be eased into high-leverage situations.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Close to activation
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Kopech (shoulder) could be activated from the 60-day injured list during the upcoming week, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Kopech is expected to pitch Sunday for Triple-A Oklahoma City in what would be the ninth appearance of his rehab assignment. The right-hander entered Sunday's contest with an 18.56 ERA, 3.53 WHIP and 9:10 K:BB in 5.1 innings for the Triple-A club, but he had delivered scoreless appearances in three of his last four outings. Kopech served as a high-leverage reliever during the Dodgers' run to the World Series last fall, but given his rocky performance during his rehab assignment, the right-hander could be deployed in middle relief in his initial appearances upon returning from the IL.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Several more rehab games on tap
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Kopech (shoulder) will pitch at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday and is expected to make several more appearances during his rehab assignment before being activated from the 60-day injured list, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.
Kopech got roughed up in his third rehab outing for the Comets on Wednesday, surrendering three runs on two hits and one walk while striking out one over 0.2 innings. The Dodgers don't appear to be in any hurry to bring the right-hander back from the IL, as the club noted Monday that Kopech will appear in at least three more games before being reinstated.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Sharp in second rehab outing
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Kopech (shoulder) struck out two batters and gave up one hit and no walks over a scoreless inning of relief in his second rehab appearance Sunday with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
After failing to record an out while issuing five walks and getting charged with five earned runs in his first rehab outing with Oklahoma City on Thursday, Kopech assuaged some of the concern about his health by delivering a strong performance Sunday. He touched 99.7 miles per hour with his fastball twice in his 14-pitch appearance, throwing 10 strikes while retiring three of the four batters he faced. Before kicking off his rehab assignment last week, Kopech hadn't pitched in a game setting since the World Series last fall while recovering from a right shoulder impingement, so he'll likely require at least a few more outings in the minors before the Dodgers bring him back from the 60-day injured list.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Ramping up bullpen sessions
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Kopech (shoulder) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session Thursday and is scheduled for another Monday before potentially being cleared to face live batters, Benjamin Royer of the Los Angeles Times reports.
The right-hander's throwing program stalled in late March due to a shoulder impingement after he came into camp with some forearm inflammation, but he's now nearing the latter stages of his rehab program. Kopech will likely require a few rehab appearances in the minors before rejoining the Dodgers, so he's likely still at least a couple weeks away from being reinstated.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Tosses bullpen Tuesday
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Kopech (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Tuesday, per MLB.com.
The bullpen was Kopech's second since he had his throwing program stalled in late March. The veteran reliever has recently stated that he "feels good" as he ramps up toward a return from the right shoulder injury that has kept him from seeing any game action so far this season. Kopech will presumably need a minor-league rehab assignment before he's ready to be activated off the IL, and when he eventually rejoins the Dodgers' big-league bullpen, he could be eased back into a high-leverage role considering the amount of time he has missed.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Has throwing program stalled
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Kopech (shoulder) is "sort of in a holding pattern" with his throwing, per MLB.com.
Kopech is dealing with a right shoulder impingement and will open the campaign on the injured list. He had been throwing bullpen sessions as of early March, but given Roberts' comments, it's unclear what the righty reliever's throwing program looks like at the moment. Kopech notched six regular-season saves for Los Angeles after being acquired from the White Sox in late July last year, but he's been slated for a setup role when healthy this season with newcomer Tanner Scott expected to work as the Dodgers' primary closer.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Throws off mound
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Kopech (forearm) threw off a mound Saturday to a standing catcher, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
While it wasn't a full-fledged bullpen session, Saturday marked the first time Kopech had done any sort of mound work since the start of spring training. The 28-year-old righty has been behind schedule since the start of camp due to inflammation in his right forearm, and there's no guarantee he'll be ready to go when the Dodgers begin their domestic schedule March 27.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Could begin season on IL
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Kopech (forearm) is behind schedule in his throwing program and admitted that the right-hander could begin the season on the injured list, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Kopech experienced right forearm inflammation over the winter, and though Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes previously said in January that the 28-year-old wasn't on track to miss time to begin the season, the organization's stance on the matter has seemingly changed as spring training has gotten underway. On a positive note, Kopech hasn't been shut down from throwing, but it's unclear when he might be cleared to face hitters and eventually make his Cactus League debut. After being acquired from the White Sox in July, Kopech pitched to a 1.13 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB while going 6-for-6 in save chances over 24 innings for the Dodgers to close out the regular season, then struck out 10 batters while allowing three runs over nine postseason innings. Despite his dominant showing during his time with the Dodgers last season, Kopech's uncertain health in addition to the team's deep stable of capable high-leverage relievers renders him primarily an NL-only or deep mixed-league consideration in 2025 fantasy drafts.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Throwing, 'feeling pretty good'
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Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Tuesday on the Baseball Isn't Boring Podcast that Kopech (forearm) is going through his normal offseason throwing program and "feeling pretty good."
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported earlier this month that Kopech could miss the first month of the season due to right forearm inflammation that he pitched through during the postseason. However, Gomes indicated that the reliever is in the same boat as the team's other pitchers in that he'll be monitored this spring; however, at this juncture, a late start to the season is not anticipated. Assuming he's healthy, Kopech will be used in high-leverage situations by the Dodgers.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Concern about forearm overblown
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Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes downplayed Kopech's right forearm injury Wednesday and said, "I don't think there's anything of concern at this point," Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
A report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Monday indicated that Kopech could miss the first month of the season due to right forearm inflammation he began experiencing during the playoffs. While Gomes conceded that Kopech was "grinding" through the postseason, the GM doesn't seem to believe it will be a long-term issue. Whether Kopech will indeed get a late start to the 2025 season is not clear. When healthy, Kopech will be part of the late-inning mix in the Dodgers' bullpen.
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Dodgers' Michael Kopech: Settles at $5.2 million
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The Dodgers and Kopech avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5.2 million contract Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Kopech had been eligible for salary arbitration for the third and final time. The hard-throwing right-hander was dominant down the stretch for the Dodgers after being acquired via trade, posting a 1.13 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB over 24 regular-season innings. Kopech should be in the mix for saves in 2025 but will have competition.
