White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said Kopech could be used as a reliever, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Kopech opted to sit out the 2020 season and hasn't thrown in a game since a one-inning stint in spring training last March, just before MLB was shut down. Prior to that, he missed several months following Tommy John elbow surgery in 2018. As such, Hahn, who describes Kopech as a long-term starter, mentioned the possibility of a bullpen role as a way to manage his innings and preserve him for a September/October run. The White Sox have no shortage of rotation candidates, so it's not vital for Kopech to work as a starter from the get-go in 2021.