Koch was promoted to Double-A Wichita after recording two strikeouts and a walk in a scoreless inning during his only appearance this season for High-A Cedar Rapids.
Koch missed the 2019 season after Tommy John surgery, and he was later released by Tampa Bay and signed with Minnesota. He went 2-1 with a 1.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and .167 BAA across 15.1 innings over 13 appearances at High-A in 2018 before the injury. He appeared in spring training last season but didn't pitch in organized baseball.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Brandon Koch: Returns from Tommy John surgery
Rotowire
Koch gave up a run on a home run in one inning of work in Wednesday's split-squad Grapefruit League game against Philadelphia.
Koch missed the 2019 season after Tommy John surgery, and he was later released by Tampa Bay and signed with Minnesota. Koch was 2-1 with a 1.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and .167 BAA across 15.1 innings over 13 appearances at High-A in 2018 before the injury. He'll try to show he's healthy and prove he can be an impact reliever.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Brandon Koch: Heading for Tommy John surgery
Rotowire
Koch (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery in the near future, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The injury represents a jarring interruption to a promising career, as the 24-year-old right-hander had appeared to find his niche as a closer this season. Koch was 2-1 with a 1.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and .167 BAA across 15.1 innings over 13 appearances for the Stone Crabs, while also converting five of six opportunities. He now faces at least a 12-month recovery period, with a possibility that he misses the entire 2019 season.
... See More... See Less
Rays' Brandon Koch: Close to return from arm tenderness
Rotowire
Koch, the Rays' No. 17 prospect, is getting closer to returning to High-A Charlotte from a bout of right arm tenderness,Josh Vitale of Suncoast Sports reports.
The 22-year-old has been sidelined with the condition since April 23, and is scheduled to throw a side session in the next few days as the next step in his recovery. Stone Crabs manager Michael Johns speculates that Koch should only need a pair of rehab appearances at most in extended spring training at most before returning to active duty in the bullpen. He's generated a 2.57 ERA and notched two saves over seven innings this season, while recording seven strikeouts.
