In 2019, missing a year while recovering from Tommy John surgery just isn't as big a deal as it used to be.
But try telling that to the baseball player who won't be playing baseball.
Michael Kopech's roller coaster of emotions plummeted from the highest high of his big league debut last August to the lowest low of an elbow injury just a few starts later. And now he and the White Sox will have to play the waiting game until he's able to return to the starting rotation for the 2020 season.
For a guy who admitted he dealt with anxiety and depression during last season's struggles at the Triple-A level, you might think the bad news of Tommy John surgery would perhaps bring those challenges back.