The Dodgers’ brutal week just got worse.
Amid a six-game losing streak, the team transferred reliever Michael Kopech to the 60-day injured list following surgery to mend the torn meniscus in his right knee, as reported by the Orange County Register on Wednesday.
Kopech is still expected to return before the end of the season, according to the outlet.
The 29-year-old pitched only seven innings across eight games before being placed on the 15-day injured list due to right knee inflammation on July 1, backdated to June 28.
The Dodgers moved Kopech to the extended injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Tyler Glasnow, who returned from the 60-day injured list during Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat against the Brewers.
To open an active roster spot for Glasnow, the Dodgers also optioned right-handed pitcher Alexis Díaz to the minor leagues.
Kopech, a native of Longview, Texas, was terrific for the Dodgers last year after getting traded midseason from the White Sox.
He posted a 1.13 ERA in 24 regular-season innings with LA, and also tossed nine postseason frames as the Dodgers rolled to the World Series title.
Kopech, a first-round pick of the Red Sox in 2014, was traded to the White Sox as a prospect in the 2016 Chris Sale trade.
He made his MLB debut with Chicago and pitched the first four and a half years of his big league career with the White Sox before getting dealt to Los Angeles.
Now, Kopech joins a long list of Dodgers pitchers on the 60-day IL, including starters Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin and River Ryan, and relievers Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips and Kyle Hurt.
Nonetheless, the Dodgers (56-38) still own the best record in the National League and the second-best record in baseball.
They have a five-game lead on the second-place Giants in the NL West standings heading into a three-game series in San Francisco this weekend.
