Michael Kopech

Michael Kopech undergoes season-ending knee surgery

The White Sox pitcher underwent successful surgery to remove a cyst from his right knee

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Michael Kopech underwent successful knee surgery on Friday morning to remove a cyst from his right knee, the White Sox announced. The recovery timeline is 6-8 weeks, according to the team.

The White Sox placed Kopech on the 15-day injured list on Friday. He will not pitch for the remainder of the season. In his place, the team called up right-hander Yohan Ramírez from Class AAA Charlotte.

Kopech, 27, has struggled this season.

Expected to be a significant piece of the starting rotation, his season was quite the roller coaster. He opened up his year against the San Francisco Giants for the White Sox home opener, allowing four home runs in one inning, all nearly in subsequent order.

He went on a tear in late May, allowing zero runs over two starts that saw him go a combined 15 innings. Between those games, he struck out 19 batters (also struck out 10 in his next start) and walked one opponent.

Earlier this month --- after failing to compete two innings during a start against the Detroit Tigers --- the White Sox relegated him to the bullpen. He made three appearances out of the bullpen, allowing six runs between 2.2 innings. The most came from a ninth-inning debacle, where he allowed four runs.

His last outing was a start against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, in which he pitched solely the first inning. He allowed zero runs while striking out and walking one batter each.

Now, Kopech will prepare for the 2024 season.

He will end his season with a 5.43 ERA from 30 games (27 starts) and 129.1 innings pitched. He recorded 134 strikeouts and 91 walks on the season. He finishes with a 5-12 pitching record on the season.

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