Michael Kopech lands on injured list with right shoulder inflammation; Cueto scratched

DETROIT — Already up against it in the American League Central race after a loss to the last-place Tigers on Friday night, the White Sox endured two additional blows Saturday.

Right-hander Michael Kopech landed on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his right shoulder, and Johnny Cueto was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday night with a non-COVID illness.

Right-hander Davis Martin, recalled from Triple-A Charlotte to take Kopech’s scheduled start Sunday, was moved up to start in Cueto’s place.

“We’ve got to keep going,” acting manager Miguel Cairo said.

There was no choice but to trudge forward even with a rotation blowing tires as the team takes the final lap of an enormously disappointing season fraught with injuries.

Heaping one more on the pile seemed -fitting.

“We’ve got another game today,” Cairo said.

“Someone’s got to step up, Martin today. Someone has the chance to show that they belong in the big leagues, and it’s good to see that. Hopefully he can do that.”

Martin did, tossing six innings of one-run ball against the Tigers in the Sox’ 4-3 victory in 11 innings.

If Cueto isn’t well enough to pitch Sunday, the Sox would use a bullpen game in Kopech’s slot. It’s a tough way to mount a threat to the streaking Guardians.

A three-game series sweep Tuesday through Thursday against Cleveland seems a virtual necessity.

Kopech will miss two starts and perhaps the rest of the season, although general manager Rick Hahn did not rule out a return. Kopech felt something during his side session in Cleveland on Thursday and had an MRI exam, which showed normal wear and tear.

“It didn’t feel quite right to him; he didn’t like the way the ball was coming out of his hand,” Hahn said.

Kopech’s return likely only would occur if the Sox are still in the chase.

“This isn’t ideal, but at the same time, with him having made 25 starts and thrown about 120 innings, it’s not entirely unforeseen,” Hahn said.

“He could well be hitting a wall at this point in the season. There are no long-term concerns here. And as we talked about it going all the way back to spring training, there were going to be a number of factors dictating how many innings Michael was going to wind up throwing for us this year.”

The Sox entered their game against the Tigers trailing the first-place Guardians by four games in the AL Central after losing to the Tigers 3-2 in 10 innings Friday.

The Guardians stayed on a roll and beat the Twins in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday.

Kopech’s workload has been a topic of conversation all season. He has pushed back against being coddled and was bent on going wire to wire.

He has pitched through soreness in both knees this season. Kopech made two starts after going on the injured list from Aug. 23 to Sept. 7 with a strained left knee.

He is 5-9 with a 3.54 ERA in 25 starts covering a career-high 119„ innings. Kopech opted out of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic season and made 40 relief appearances and four starts last season.

“Certainly protecting his long-term health is one of the most important factors that led to the decision here,” Hahn said.