ATLANTA — There sits a huge TV in the middle of the visiting clubhouse here. Players turn it into a home theater, and on Thursday, not surprisingly, the Rockies elected to lighten the mood by watching “Semi-Pro.”
Then they walked into the dugout and continued viewing reruns of “M.A.S.H.” Just when it looked like things couldn’t get any worse, promising rookie outfielder Charlie Blackmon broke the metatarsal on his left foot, which likely will sideline him six to eight weeks. The Rockies recalled outfielder Cole Garner as his replacement.
Blackmon suffered the injury rounding second base on a hit-and-run play in the third inning. He slid safely into third, but knew something was wrong.
“I heard it pop. So I figured it was broken or it was a really bad sprain,” said Blackmon, crutches sitting beside him afterward. “I have sprained ankles before, but nothing like this.”
This injury is more closely associated with basketball players. Blackmon will have his foot re-evaluated by Dr. Thomas Noonan, the Rockies’ medical director, today in Colorado. There’s a chance Blackmon might require surgery, during which a pin would be inserted to promote healing. Rockies trainer Keith Dugger said other players have had success with the operation, including Juan Uribe.
“We will know more after the MRI and X-ray,” Dugger said.
It’s a potentially season-ending blow for Blackmon if he doesn’t heal on schedule. He’s staring at a September return date. The timing could not have been worse. Blackmon was beginning to regain traction — he hit .255 with one home run and eight RBIs in 27 games — and the Rockies were already playing short-handed. In the series finale, they were without outfielder Carlos Gonzalez (bruised right wrist) and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (strained right quadriceps).
“It’s hard to believe what’s happened the last few days,” slugger Jason Giambi said.
Garner, a high school teammate of Ian Stewart, was optioned to Colorado Springs on Tuesday but remained with the Rockies while they mulled whether to place Gonzalez on the DL. With CarGo cleared to play today, Garner flew back to Colorado on Thursday. He arrived in Colorado Springs and made one heck of a U-turn, rejoining the Rockies in Washington.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
