CHICAGO -- Michael Kopech has been away from competitive baseball since Sept. 5, 2018, when he made his last start at home against Detroit before having to undergo Tommy John surgery.

This downtime has allowed Kopech to reflect on more than baseball, reinforcing a desire to use his fame to give back. He has been doing so through Kopech’s Big Kut.

The charity sweepstakes was launched this past September in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, when Kopech began to grow out his hair for the cause. It came to an end Wednesday afternoon, when Kopech went from a Thor-like look to a buzz-cut in front of kids and families staying at the Ronald McDonald House near Lurie Children’s Hospital in downtown Chicago.

Kopech’s Big Kut raised $20,000 via donations, with $10,000 going to Chicago White Sox Charities and $10,000 donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities in Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and Kopech made separate donations in support of this charitable endeavor.

“I’m a little bit lighter,” said a smiling Kopech, who was joined by his wife, Vanessa, for the Big Kut. “A little more aerodynamic, I would like to think.

“I hate to take too much credit for something that’s not really ... it’s much bigger than me. I just want to make a contribution to something that has a purpose. I’m in a position to where I don’t have much to complain about, and yet I found myself complaining. I’m in a position where I can actually help people who are less privileged than I am. I feel like if I don’t do something with that, I’m failing myself and my community.”

Wednesday’s event marked the unofficial start to SoxFest, which actually begins Friday afternoon at McCormick Place West and covers two days. There will be nothing but excitement running throughout the sold-out crowd, as the White Sox have made numerous moves to push this organizational rebuild into an American League Central contention phase.

One major topic of interest will be Kopech and how he feels approaching Spring Training. The hard-throwing right-hander, who turns 24 on April 30, shook off a little mound rust during instructional league action in Arizona this past fall, and he wasn’t concerned with results during that time. In fact, he doesn’t remember his final line.

There’s a good chance the White Sox continue to go slower with Kopech, who has only four Major League starts and 14 1/3 innings under his belt. That patience probably means he will begin the season with Triple-A Charlotte, considering the White Sox rotation features Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, Dylan Cease, Reynaldo López and Gio González.

“I assume that's kind of what everyone is thinking, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't probably thinking the same thing,” Kopech said. “But I'm still going to give myself that chance if it presents itself.”

Life has been about balance for Kopech over the past year. When is he doing too much? When is he doing too little? How can he help the team without even being there?

Kopech was present on Wednesday for a great cause. But post-injury, his baseball return now takes the focus, with a more polished approach, mechanics-wise, to go with raw talent featuring a 100-mph fastball.

“I don't know if I'm going to necessarily be that type of power pitcher again in my career,” Kopech said. “I'm going to be a little bit smarter and cautious about how I pitch. That being said, velocity will always be a part of my game.

“Physically, I feel great. Better than I probably have felt my entire baseball career since I was drafted. Mentally, I’m in a place that I think is stable and confident and prepared.

“Beforehand, I did as much as I could physically to go into spring and do as much as I could on the mound,” Kopech said. “Now I feel like I’ve taken what I’ve learned from this past year and tried to apply it. I feel physically I can compete still, and mentally, I’m going to be able to withhold whatever is going to come my way.”