Kopech injury won’t delay rebuild dreams

The news hit like a lightning bolt Friday.

White Sox prized pitching prospect Michael Kopech suffered a significant tear in the ulnar collateral ligament of his right elbow, an injury that likely requires reconstructive surgery and will put him out of action until the 2020 season.

It couldn’t have come at a worse time — for Kopech, the Sox organization or fans waiting out another losing season in the vaunted rebuild.

The devastating diagnosis came from out of the blue, just as Kopech was getting his feet wet, excitement was running high and the rebuild appeared to be turning the proverbial corner.

So what’s next for Kopech, the organization and fan base?

No one knows for sure, but these three things seem certain:

Kopech’s task

Kopech should recover and return for what looks to be a successful major-leaguer career, just as many other starters have done after Tommy John surgery.

The Cubs were dealt a similar blow in spring training of 1999 when 21-year-old Rookie of the Year winner Kerry Wood blew out his right elbow, forcing him to undergo reconstructive surgery and miss the entire season.

After receiving the bad news, Wood voiced optimism he would make it back and return to his old self.

“It all depends on the individual person and his work ethic to come back,” Wood said the next day.

A dejected Kopech said Friday he hit “rock bottom.” It’s a tough pill for any young player to swallow, much less one with as much potential as the Sox phenom.

But we already know Kopech has the work ethic, and we have a reliable blueprint to follow in fellow Sox prospect Dylan Cease, who had Tommy John surgery after the Cubs drafted him in 2014.

Cease was just named MLB Pipeline’s Pitcher of the Year after going a combined 12-2 with a 2.40 ERA in Class A and Double A.

Kopech will need the support of family and friends to get through a difficult 2019 rehab process, but there’s no reason to believe he won’t return to form. His velocity shouldn’t suffer because it’s an elbow, not a shoulder, and he seemingly has a good head on his shoulders.

It’s all up to him.

Timetable in flux

The Sox’s timetable for contending might have been dealt a blow, but because they never gave one it’s impossible to speculate.

Was 2019 a realistic possibility? The Braves went from 90 losses in 2017 to first place in the National League East heading into the final three weeks, and the Phillies remain in contention after losing 96 games last season. The successes of those two rebuilds, combined with the excitement created by the standout seasons of Kopech, Cease and outfielder Eloy Jimenez, provided hope the Sox could make a big leap forward next season.

But that was probably wishful thinking, and 2020 is the earliest the Sox probably could have hoped to contend, even if Kopech had been a part of next year’s rotation.

Dane Dunning, who came over in the Adam Eaton deal, should be ready next season, and Cease, who was shut down recently after reaching an innings limit, figures to reach the Sox by midseason.

Jimenez already is ready and should be up by late April to ensure he will be under Sox control for seven years instead of six.

But even if those three prospects are in the picture in 2019, the Sox still would need a bullpen overhaul and a few key free-agent signings to become a contender.

Whether Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is willing to shell out big money for a top-of-the-line star, as the Cubs did with Jon Lester after Year Three of their rebuild, remains to be seen.

Patience still a virtue

Sox fans have been incredibly patient throughout the first two years of the rebuild, and the buzz Kopech’s Aug. 21 arrival created was something to behold. Fans were lined up in the left-field corner and behind the bullpen just to watch and send social media posts of Kopech warming up before the game.

Though rain interrupted his debut — a recurring theme as it turned out — Kopech’s call-up gave Sox fans reason to believe the rebuild was going according to plan and there was light at the end of the tunnel.

The Black Friday news obviously was a total bummer, and it’s probably going to hurt the team’s chances of selling more season tickets in 2019.

But Sox fans are a resilient group, and they will get through it. They have dealt with worse.

My advice is to repeat the following phrase over and over again: “Eloy’s coming. Eloy’s coming. Eloy’s coming …”