dodged a grave injury, but that did not make him happy. The Rockies’ all-star third baseman, hit by a pitch Sunday in Miami, could not take true batting practice Monday afternoon at . It displeased him.
“If I have to change the way I hit, I won’t play,” Arenado said. His left hand was still swollen a day later, but it was not broken. “I was gonna take swings even if it was broken. I’m not afraid to pick up a bat and swing it all the time.”
The Rockies sighed in relief. An X-ray Sunday showed no broken bones and the swelling on the outside of his hand decreased overnight. And Arenado did not end up on the disabled list.
But Arenado was not in their lineup Monday to start a four-game series against the visiting . He will likely not start before Wednesday, possibly Thursday.
He told Colorado manager Bud Black that he is available to pinch hit while he is not starting. Arenado came in at the bottom of the seventh inning Monday, pinch hitting for Trevor Story. He popped out.
“It hurts. But it’s not going to get any worse,” Arenado said. “It’s just about pain tolerance right now. It’s definitely bothering me.”
A pitch from Miami right-hander Vance Worley sailed high and tight on Arenado in the fifth inning Sunday and he jogged a pained circle around home plate before Black removed him from the game. In the moment, Arenado thought a bone had fractured.
“I was surprised. I thought I broke it,” he said. “It got super tight right after it happened. When I broke bones before, it gets real tight right away.”
Arenado’s 26 home runs trail only ‘s 27 for the Rockies’ lead. And his 100 RBIs are most in the majors.
“This turned out to be a little bit of a break for us,” Black said. “It could have been a lot worse.”
Footnotes. Ian Desmond (right calf strain) took indoor batting practice for the first time on his disabled list stint, but “he still has some hurdles to get over” before a rehab assignment, Black said… Pat Valaika replaced Arenado at first base, but Black also considered recent call-up Ryan McMahon, a third baseman who converted to first and second base this season in the minors. McMahon’s dad flew to Denver to see him play for the first time in the majors, after he was promoted Friday in Miami… The Rockies sent down right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez, again, to make room for Bettis. He was disappointed. “I felt like I was blowing by people with my fastball,” Estevez said.
Looking ahead …
Braves LHP Sean Newcomb (1-7, 4.45 ERA) at Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (11-7, 3.70), Tuesday 6:40 p.m., AT&T SportsNet, 850-AM
Freeland returns to the Rockies rotation in a spot that is working for him. Freeland, the Denver native, has been Colorado’s best full-time starter at Coors Field this season, with a 6-4 record, 3.19 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP (walks and hits per inning). His previous start at home was cut short for other reasons. The rookie suffered a left groin strain in the first inning against the Phillies and will return after a minimum 10-day stint on the disabled list. Newcomb has lost five of his past seven starts for Atlanta. Nick Groke, The Denver Post
Wednesday: Braves RHP Mike Foltynewicz (10-7, 4.29) at Rockies TBA, 6:40 p.m., AT&T SportsNet
Thursday: Braves RHP Lucas Sims (0-2, 5.25) at Rockies RHP Jeff Hoffman (6-4, 5.15), 1:10 p.m., no TV
