SAN FRANCISCO — A flurry of injuries and roster moves Tuesday will be capped by infielder Omar Quintanilla’s arrival Tuesday night. It was hardly the strangest thing to occur on a bizarre day.
Just when things couldn’t get any weirder, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki came out of Tuesday’s game in the first inning with a left quadriceps strain. He was only in the lineup because Jeff Baker broke a blood vessel on the middle finger of his right hand during batting practice. That led Garrett Atkins to take over at second base with catcher Chris Iannetta manning third base.
Tulowitzki limped off, leaving the possibility that he could land on the disabled list for the first time in his career.
The Rockies have been playing with a short-handed bench since designating second baseman Jayson Nix for assignment last Saturday. Quintanilla will likely take pitcher Kip Wells’ roster spot. Nix is scheduled to clear waivers Wednesday, so he could be re-added to the roster if Tulo’s injury is serious.
Wells was sent back to Denver to have special diagnostic tests done on his right pitching hand. That is a concern given that Wells has a blocked artery two years ago that created numbness in his fingers.
Quintanilla performed well in spring training, but was unable to beat out Clint Barmes. He is more necessary than ever after Jeff Baker was sctache
The Rockies still need a starter for Saturday with Franklin Morales headed back to Colorado Springs. Josh Towers is the favorite, though he would have to be pulled from tomorrow’s game for the Sky Sox. The Rockies are also considering acquiring Jorge de la Rosa as the player to be named in the Ramon Ramirez deal from spring training.
