Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed reliever Michael Kopech took a major step in his return to the mound this spring.
This week, Kopech threw his first bullpen of the spring, as he begins his ramp-up for the 2025 season.
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Kopech, 28, recently told Jack Harris of the LA Times that he was at about “60 percent” health-wise during last year’s World Series due to forearm inflammation.
“I think a lot of people look at the results of what you’re putting out there as how you feel,” Kopech said to the LA Times.
“I was still able to throw 100 mph in the last days of the season, so that’s great. But it was a lot more effort to throw that hard, and it was a lot more intensity and masking things. I definitely wasn’t 100 percent.”
That forearm inflammation has delayed his spring, and Kopech will start the season on the injured list.
“Initially, we were trying to be really careful with their build-up, knowing that they pitched a lot of high-stress innings last year,” manager Dave Roberts said of Kopech and Evan Phillips. “So having them start a little bit later isn’t a bad thing. I think that just kind of seeing where they’re at right now, just more encouraged.”
Phillips is reportedly ahead of Kopech in his build-up, and could be back by the first or second week of April.
As for Kopech, it may be a few more weeks until he’s back with the Dodgers. For what it’s worth, he told Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain earlier this spring that he felt great.
“I wouldn’t say I’m close to 100 percent like close to game action, as far as health-wise, I’m close to 100 percent but there’s steps, there’s kind of a long road back when you have to reset your training,” Kopech said. Overall I feel good, I’m in good shape, I feel comfortable competing if I had to rush to compete, but I don’t think there’s any rush right now.”
The Dodgers acquired Kopech at last year’s trade deadline, and he immediately became the team’s top reliever, sporting a 1.13 ERA across 24 appearances. In the postseason, Kopech made 10 appearances, sporting a 3.00 ERA with 10 strikeouts.
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Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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