DENVER—Colorado Rockies right-handed starter Jason Hirsh will miss the rest of the year because the bone in his right leg isn’t healing quickly enough for him to return this season.
The 25-year-old broke his right fibula when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of Milwaukee’s J.J. Hardy on Aug. 7. Hirsh shook it off and pitched six innings to get the win. The next day, X-rays showed a fracture in the right fibula, the thin bone on the outside of his lower leg. He went on the disabled list Aug. 9.
Hirsh said he had another X-ray on Tuesday that showed the leg was healing, but doctors and trainer Keith Dugger decided later that day for him to shut him down for the rest of 2007.
“The doc and Duggie talked and they felt there was not enough for me to get to where I need to be by the end of the year,” Hirsh said.
Hirsh came to the Rockies in an offseason trade with Houston. He started 19 games this season, going 5-7 with a 4.81 ERA in 112 1-3 innings.
Hirsh said the decision to end his season was out of concern for his arm, not his leg.
“They’re worried about me altering my mechanics and possibly injuring my arm,” he said.
