Michael Kopech's knee surgery creates more White Sox bewilderment

White Sox starting pitcher Michael Kopech first injured his right knee in the first inning of a game June 12 against the Texas Rangers.

I was at that game, and it was one of the most discouraging moments of a discouraging season. Kopech left the mound after throwing only 12 pitches, and he spiked the ball in some combination of disgust and frustration before departing. The crowd let out an audible groan.

I remember thinking, "This is a significant injury. The athlete himself is always the first to know when something is really wrong."

Much to my surprise, Kopech didn't miss a start, although he admitted feeling a "pop" in his knee during that game against Texas.

Kopech remained on the active roster until Aug. 23. During a start against the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 22, he failed to record an out in the first inning, and was placed on the injured list with a strain in his other knee.

His absence was relatively short, all things considered. Kopech returned to the mound Sept. 7 and made two more starts before ultimately heading back to the injured list Sept. 17 with right shoulder inflammation.

With the Sox falling out of the pennant race, reasonable observers were assuming that Kopech was done for 2022. After all, Kopech has tossed a career-high 119.1 innings this season, and that's a reasonably good workload for him in his first full season as a starting pitcher. 

In fact, Kopech will not pitch again this year.

However, a report came out over the weekend that Kopech was not shut down because of his balky shoulder. No, he actually had surgery to "address an issue with the meniscus in his right knee," according to what little information is available on the Sox website. 

That's the same knee that Kopech felt a "pop" in June 12 against the Rangers. The Sox front office hasn't been talking much these days, so I haven't heard or read any official comment on this, but James Fegan of The Athletic confirmed through sources that Kopech had a torn meniscus repaired.

So, was Kopech allowed to pitch with a knee injury that required surgery for most of the second half of the season? And did he injure his other knee and shoulder, perhaps, by compensating for the trouble in his right knee? 

These questions are unanswered. What is clear is that June 12 start marked a turning point in the trajectory of Kopech's season.

Kopech before June 12: 51.2 IP, 24 BB, 51 K, 2 HR, 1.92 ERA

Kopech after June 12: 67.2 IP, 33 BB, 54 K, 13 HR, 4.79 ERA

Let's credit Kopech for gutting it out and not being completely terrible while pitching injured. We have seen Sox starting pitchers do far worse than a 4.79 ERA.

But if Kopech tore his meniscus in June, shouldn't it have been addressed right away? Then perhaps Kopech could have come back sometime in August at full strength? Could these subsequent ailments have been avoided by promptly addressing the first injury?

I'm not a doctor, and I honestly do not know what is best. But I am bewildered by the way the Sox have handled several of their injuries this season. This Kopech situation is the latest one that makes little sense.