Michael Kopech Has Suffered Multiple Setbacks as He Attempts Return to Dodgers
Michael Kopech is starting the 2025 season on the injured list as he recovers from right shoulder impingement he suffered in spring training while trying to ramp up. The right-handed reliever also battled a stomach virus that sidelined him earlier this month.
Kopech, who joined the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline last season, struggled with forearm and elbow pain in the fall. He pitched 24 innings in the regular season with Los Angeles and nine through the Dodgers’ World Series run.
“It was just a little bit tougher to bounce back than it should have been,” Kopech said to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
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In addition to Kopech, reliever Evan Phillips is also opening the season on IL, which leaves the Los Angeles Dodgers with a depleted bullpen.
Kopech told Plunkett he initially felt healthy in spring training. However, he believes his shoulder and forearm pain from last season “kind of crept up to the shoulder.”
“I was feeling good but I don’t think (the shoulder) was ready,” Kopech said to Plunkett.
Kopech did not pitch during spring training, as the Dodgers organization opted to stop his pitching and replace it with “some strengthening stuff.”
Kopech didn’t travel to Japan and won’t be back for a couple weeks, but the 28-year-old does not think the pain is too concerning.
“It’s back to feeling like an actual throwing arm again, so it’s no big deal,” Kopech said to Plunkett. “Not anything that’s like an actual injury, just little bumps and bruises here and there.”
When he is healthy, Kopech will be a strong addition to the Los Angeles bullpen. In last year’s postseason, the 2014 first-round draft pick logged a 3.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts in nine innings.
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Kopech is coming off a career-best season, posting a 3.46 ERA across the 2024 season. After he joined the Dodgers, the Texas native’s ERA dropped to a career-best 1.13.
Even without Kopech and Phillips, the Dodgers have a reliable bullpen, featuring All-Stars Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, and Blake Treinen, as well as key pieces such as Alex Vesia, Ben Casparius, and Anthony Banda. Therefore, the Dodgers do not need to rush Kopech back.
There is currently no timeline for when Kopech will be reinstated to the 26-man roster.
Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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