It's time for White Sox to put Dylan Covey in the bullpen

There is nothing White Sox right-hander Dylan Covey could have done to win his start Monday against the New York Yankees.

New York starter Lance Lynn dominated Sox hitters in a 7-0 Yankees victory. Lynn allowed only two singles over 7.1 innings and retired 19 straight Sox hitters at one point, so Covey was going to be in trouble unless he figured out a way to give up negative runs.

That said, Covey continued his well-established pattern of being shelled in the middle innings. Entering Monday night's start, Covey was limiting opposing batters to a .207/.296/.333 slash line the first time through the order. But the second time through the batting order, opponents were hitting .321/.395/.468 off Covey.

We saw it again Monday, as Covey breezed through the first three innings. He retired the first 10 men he faced, but it fell apart on him in the fourth and fifth innings. The Yankees got two in the fourth and two in the fifth, and with Lynn dominating, the game was over at that point.

New York batters went 4 for 8 with a walk the second time through the order, and it would have been 5 for 8 if Adam Engel had not made a spectacular leaping catch at the wall to rob New York first baseman Greg Bird of a 3-run homer. That two-run Yankees fourth inning would have been a five-run rally if not for the tremendous defensive play of Engel.

Here's the problem for Covey -- he's basically a two-pitch pitcher. He's got a good fastball, 95 mph with good sink. His changeup is decent, good enough to get outs if he can locate it and he's ahead in the count. However, his slider is not an out pitch, and it's basically a show-me offering and nothing more.

You can be effective as a relief pitcher with one good pitch and one decent one, but that's not enough of an arsenal to be a good starting pitcher. More often than not, a two-pitch pitcher is going to get hit around the second and third time through the batting order, unless he's pinpoint with his command, which Covey typically is not.

As we've all noticed, the Sox bullpen stinks, so I can't help but wonder if there might be a role for Covey as a one- or two-inning reliever over the long haul. Again, opponents are hitting only .207 the first time they face him in a game. That's good, and I'd be willing to give Covey a shot in that role. It's his best chance for long-term success in the major leagues.

Of course, somebody would have to take Covey's spot in the rotation, and that means the front office would have to bring Michael Kopech to Chicago.

Honestly, Kopech is ready. The Sox's top pitching prospect has allowed two earned runs or less in eight of his past nine starts at Triple-A Charlotte. The command issues that plagued him in June have been ironed out. Kopech has struck out 41 men and walked only four in his past five starts, spanning 31 innings.

At one point, Kopech's ERA had swollen to 5.08 -- that was on June 20. His ERA is now 4.05 as Triple-A hitters no longer seem to be a challenge for him.

That doesn't mean the Sox won't play the service time shenanigans game with Kopech, but right now, the correct baseball move is to put Kopech in the MLB rotation to gain experience, and move Covey to the bullpen to see if he can carve a niche for himself with his more limited arsenal of pitches.

Covey now is 4-8 with a 5.58 ERA in 15 starts this season. He's just not a starting pitcher.