Los Angeles prospect Patrick Copen will bear surgical procedure within the coming weeks after struggling what director of participant improvement Will Rhymes referred to as “a severe harm to his face.”
Copen, the No. 20 prospect within the group in accordance with MLB Pipeline, was positioned on the 60-day injured checklist, successfully ending his season.
“He’s getting nice care and he’s doing nicely, all issues thought of,” Rhymes mentioned by way of textual content message Thursday.
Within the third inning of the Nice Lakes Loons’ sport in opposition to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Tuesday, Copen was struck within the face by a line drive off the bat of Wisconsin’s Cooper Pratt. Though he remained acutely aware, Copen’s neck was positioned in a brace earlier than medics carted him off the sphere.
The road drive struck Copen in his cheek/orbital bone space. The harm prompted a 21-minute delay whereas Copen was attended to on the sphere.
It’s a tragic ending to a promising season for a pitcher who climbed the ’ inner prospect rankings and earned a promotion up the minor-league ladder.
A 6-foot-6 right-hander, Copen started the season at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. In 54.1 innings, he went 5-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 13 video games (11 begins).
On June 25, Copen was promoted to Nice Lakes, the ’ affiliate within the superior Class-A Midwest League.
In eight begins with the Loons, Copen went 3-2 with a 4.21 ERA, with 35 strikeouts and 27 walks in 36.1 innings. Opponents had been hitting .248 in opposition to him.
During the last two seasons mixed, Copen has appeared in 24 minor league video games, making 21 begins. The Parkersburg, W.V. native has thrown 95 innings whereas permitting solely 76 hits, strolling 55 and placing out 97.
The Belpre, Ohio native attended and performed baseball at Parkersburg Catholic Excessive College for 4 years.
Copen was named to the MLB Spring Breakout Second Staff in March. In April, Baseball America recognized Copen as a breakout pitching prospect for the 2024 season, one in all three prospects talked about (together with Payton Martin and Jackson Ferris) amongst simply 20 in minor league baseball.
Photograph Credit score: Abbie Parr/Getty Photographs
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