As we stroll through March, the month of luck, the Rockies haven’t been so lucky over the past few days. Rockies infielder Brendan Rodgers made a diving catch in a Spring Training game last week and popped his shoulder out of place. He was down for several minutes until he walked off the field on his own power, and the training staff put his shoulder back into place shortly after. According to reports, the MRI on Rodgers’s shoulder wasn’t super promising, suggesting a season-ending procedure may be needed. Rodgers arguably had his best season last year by hitting .266 with 63 runs batted in along with 13 home runs and adding a Gold Glove Award for National League second basemen. While the news is tough for Rockies fans to swallow, the Rockies will likely move Ryan McMahon over to second base and have Elehuris Montero, Nolan Jones, or recently acquired Mike Moustakas compete for the third base position.
Lucas Gilbreath, a Colorado-native left-handed pitcher, felt some discomfort in his elbow last week. Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters that Gilbreath will likely need Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2023 season and perhaps the early part of the 2024 season. The young lefty pitched with a 2-0 record last year with a 4.19 ERA in 47 games. In the wake of Gilbreath’s injury, the Rockies have signed veteran LHP Brad Hand to a one-year contract to fill the shoes in the pen.
