Kopech (hand) will start for Short Season Lowell on Friday, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reports. The 20-year-old is coming back from a fractured hand he sustained while fighting with a teammate in spring training.

EDGE Analysis

Kopech's hand injury came on the heels of a 50-game suspension at the end of last season for testing positive for a banned substance, so he's missed nearly a year of development time because of his off-the-field behavior. Through it all, the organization has supported the right-hander, who is saying all the right things about being more mature and expressing gratitude to the organization for sticking by him. The Texas native, who possesses a mid-90s fastball, a swing-and-miss slider, and an improving changeup, should stay too long in Lowell.