Can you remove a shirt pocket and not ruin the shirt? Aaron Marino of alpha m. addresses a viewer question regarding this topic.
Alpha’s initial reaction was ‘no’. Then he got to thinking about the length of time the shirt has been owned and laundered. If you have just purchased the shirt, the stitching may still be evident.
Alpha does a little experiment with a shirt and razor blade. He removes the pocket and creates two holes in the shirt. You can see the outline of the pocket with the naked eye about 8 inches away. From a closer look, you can see the stitching holes. The conclusion is to not remove the pocket.