SAN FRANCISCO — Dexter Fowler lost his starting job during the San Francisco series because of ineffectiveness. He might lose his roster spot because of an injury.
The center fielder must be able swing a bat with his sore left abdomen today or he could land on the disabled list. The injury isn’t considered serious, but the Rockies aren’t in position to go with a short bench given their offensive shortcomings.
“It’s sore, but that’s to be expected,” Fowler said. “I don’t think it’s going to take more than a few days. Whether it’s a (DL situation), you’d have to ask them.”
Fowler, who suffered the injury while sliding into first base Saturday, is hitting just .226 since May 1, with 32 strikeouts in 115 at-bats. The Rockies have been internally discussing promoting Charlie Blackmon for the last few weeks. He’s batting .337 in Triple-A with 10 home runs after opening eyes in spring training.
The question is how would the pieces fit if Blackmon joins the team? He has played almost exclusively right field for the Sky Sox. Manager Jim Tracy hasn’t ruled out asking Carlos Gonzalez to play some center field again, a position he manned frequently a year ago as part of a Gold Glove season. That discussion hasn’t taken place.
“I will do whatever they think is best for the team. I know they want to preserve my legs,” Gonzalez said before a four-strikeout performance dropped his average to .254. “But it’s not like I am 35. I am fine with it.”
Feeling a draft.
The amateur draft begins today at 5 p.m. on MLB Network with the Rockies selecting 20th. Their strategy has long been to take the best player available rather than draft for need. Opposing talent evaluators believe Colorado will take a bat, with Utah first baseman C.J. Cron drawing heavy interest along with Hawaii second baseman Kolten Wong.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
