Michael Kopech was a gamer for the Los Angeles Dodgers in their run to the World Series championship in 2024. And that will likely force him to miss games at the start of the 2025 season.

It had been reported in January that Kopech was dealing with right forearm inflammation that could last into the season. Turns out that he was pitching with the ailment throughout the postseason, when Kopech played an instrumental role in the Dodgers winning the eighth title in franchise history. 

“I was still able to throw 100 mph in the last days of the season, so that’s great,” Kopech said. “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%. But … I was determined to figure it out.” 

Key Trade Brought Michael Kopech, Tommy Edman to Dodgers

Los Angeles acquired Kopech on July 28, 2024, as part of a three-team trade that also brought Tommy Edman to the Dodgers. A starter in previous seasons for the Chicago White Sox, the 28-year-old Kopech pitched entirely out of the bullpen in 2024 to middling success for the White Sox, but he appeared in 24 games through the rest of the regular season after the trade and allowed just 10 walks, nine hits, and three runs in 24 innings. 

Kopech was even better in the postseason. He appeared in nine games, second most among Dodger relievers, and gave up just four hits and two runs with nine strikeouts in eight innings pitched. Kopech also tied for the team lead with three holds. 

“You’ve gone through the wears and tears of a full season already, you’re feeling it, and then you have another month where you’re competing to win while you’re banged up,” Kopech said. “Everything is a little risk versus reward. But the higher the risk, usually the higher the reward.” 

Kopech was one of several Dodger players who battled through physical ailments in the postseason. 

“Baseball, it’s a battle of attrition,” manager Dave Roberts said. “You lose players and guys are playing banged up. [Especially] when we started to then go through October, there are going to be things that are ailing and you’re dealing with. But I’m not surprised they found a way to get through it.” 

Michael Kopech Expected to Be On Injured List at Start of Season

Kopech is still feeling the effects of that risk. On March 4, he had his first bullpen session in spring training, after stating about a week before that the forearm issue put him “in the 60% range” health-wise. 

Kopech is not the only Dodgers reliever likely to begin the season on the injured list. Evan Similar to Kopech, Phlllips was pitching hurt in the playoffs, getting diagnosed with a small tear of a tendon in his rotator cuff. And similar to Kopech, Phillips is still impacted by the injury and will probably join Kopech on the IL. 

On January 9, 2025, Kopech and the Dodgers agreed to a one-year, $5.2 million, avoiding salary arbitration.