Monday afternoon’s game was filled with plenty of excitement as Michael Kopech made his 2018 Spring Training debut. The White Sox top pitching prospect did not disappoint either, striking out three in two shutout innings. However, things quickly took a dark turn as Kopech’s teammate Jake Burger went down in the bottom of the third inning.
Burger’s injury occurred while he was trying to beat out an infield chopper. Before he could even reach first, the third baseman fell to the ground and immediately began clutching his left ankle.
Here’s video of Jake Burger’s injury. #WhiteSoxpic.twitter.com/AddQauZHmQ
— South Side Update (@SSupdatepodcast) February 26, 2018
A cart was brought onto the field just moments after, as Sox fans held their breath. Burger was unable to put any weight on his left leg as he was loaded on and carted off the field. While the severity of the injury was not immediately known, the White Sox released an official statement on their Twitter account:
Jake Burger suffered injury to left Achilles tendon. He is currently being evaluated and his status will be updated tomorrow.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) February 26, 2018
This is obviously a very unfortunate blow to the organization and young White Sox prospect. It is tough to speculate how much time the 2017 first rounder could miss due to the large variations between an Achilles’ pull, partial tear, and full tear. More information is expected to be made known on Tuesday. Until then, we can only hope for the best.
Prayers out to my brother @Burgatron13! Stay strong bro!
— Justin Paulsen (@Justin_Paulsen6) February 26, 2018
