January 31, 2021

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Michael Kopech is ready to take the mound for the first time since 2018 following Tommy John surgery and opting out of last season. Fantasy managers have been waiting for some time now to see Kopech's strikeout potential, as he owns a career 31.2 percent strikeout rate over five seasons in the minors and his 10.2 percent swinging strike rate in his brief stint with Chicago is the lowest rate of his professional career. But along with the strikeout potential comes command issues to the tune of an 11.8 percent career walk rate in the minors. He reached 130 innings pitched in both 2017 and 2018, and has been used as a starter throughout the minors. But there have been some questions as to whether or not he will end up moving into the bullpen long term. The bottom line is that Kopech has been out of action for two years now, and it's hard to say how he will come back from this time off. With a solid Spring Training he could end up competing for a spot in the Opening Day rotation, but barring that he'll likely head back to Triple-A for a few starts to get back into shape. If he slots into the rotation when he reaches the majors again, managers should look at Kopech (ADP 293) as a high-risk, high-reward streaming option until he can string together several strong outings in a row. If he ends up throwing out of the bullpen, however, his value will be very limited in most formats.--Michael