Dodgers Prospect Struck By Line Drive Will Undergo Surgery on His Face

Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Patrick Copen will undergo surgery in the coming weeks after suffering what director of player development Will Rhymes called “a serious injury to his face.”

Copen, the No. 20 prospect in the organization according to MLB Pipeline, was placed on the 60-day injured list, effectively ending his season.

“He is getting great care and he’s doing well, all things considered,” Rhymes said via text message Thursday.

In the third inning of the Great Lakes Loons’ game against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Tuesday, Copen was struck in the face by a line drive off the bat of Wisconsin’s Cooper Pratt. Although he remained conscious, Copen’s neck was placed in a brace before medics carted him off the field.

The line drive struck Copen in his cheek/orbital bone area. The injury prompted a 21-minute delay while Copen was attended to on the field.

It’s a sad ending to a promising season for a pitcher who climbed the Dodgers’ internal prospect rankings and earned a promotion up the minor-league ladder.

A 6-foot-6 right-hander, Copen began the season at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. In 54.1 innings, he went 5-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 13 games (11 starts).

On June 25, Copen was promoted to Great Lakes, the Dodgers’ affiliate in the advanced Class-A Midwest League.

In eight starts with the Loons, Copen went 3-2 with a 4.21 ERA, with 35 strikeouts and 27 walks in 36.1 innings. Opponents were hitting .248 against him.

Over the last two seasons combined, Copen has appeared in 24 minor league games, making 21 starts. The Parkersburg, W.V. native has thrown 95 innings while allowing only 76 hits, walking 55 and striking out 97.

The Belpre, Ohio native attended and played baseball at Parkersburg Catholic High School for four years.

Copen was named to the MLB Spring Breakout Second Team in March. In April, Baseball America identified Copen as a breakout pitching prospect for the 2024 season, one of three Dodgers prospects mentioned (along with Payton Martin and Jackson Ferris) among just 20 in minor league baseball.

Photo Credit: Abbie Parr/Getty Images

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