Rockies starting second baseman Brendan Rodgers’ hamstring injury turned out to be worse than anticipated and now the club will have to juggle its lineup as opening day looms.
Manager Bud Black provided an update Friday, saying that the right hamstring strain will bench Rodgers for at least a month.
“A little bit of bad news there,” Black said after Rodgers’ test results came back. “The trauma to the hamstring is a little bit worse than was originally anticipated, based on how Brendan was feeling.
“So the length of time is now probably stretched out a little bit longer. I don’t really want to put a timetable on it, but it will be more than a month that he’ll be out.”
With the April 1 opener vs. the Dodgers at Coors Field less than two weeks away, the Rockies will have to alter their starting lineup.
Ryan McMahon was going to be the everyday third baseman but he’ll now slide back over to second base where he started the past two seasons. Black believes McMahon has developed into an above-average defensive second baseman.
Josh Fuentes, who can play both first and third, will likely be the starter at third base to begin the season.
“Like we’ve said all along, we like the versatility of our group, right? We like that,” Black said. “We like the fact that McMahon can play third or second. Josh is going to play third base again today. He had a great game defensively at third base against the Dodgers (on Monday).”
Rodgers’ injury will play a role in determining whether the Rockies will utilize a four- or five-man bench. Rodgers’ absence could open the door wider for rookie outfielder Yonathan Daza to make the 26-man roster. Daza has hit .433 with one home run, four RBIs and an OPS of 1.067 in 30 spring training at-bats.
The second base job was all but guaranteed to Rodgers and he backed up the club’s faith in him, putting up a Cactus League slash line of .348/.400/.652, with two home runs and a double in 25 plate appearances. He also was showing a nice comfort level in the field.
The hamstring injury, suffered when Rodgers tried to steal a base last Saturday, is the latest setback for the 24-year-old, who was the third overall pick in the 2015 draft. Rodgers had shoulder surgery in July 2019 and missed the rest of that season. He also had a hamstring issue last summer at the Rockies’ alternative camp.
Rodgers, long the club’s top prospect, has played just 32 games in the big leagues, with a .196 batting average, no home runs and a .462 OPS.
Rodgers, naturally, was discouraged to hear the news, especially since he’d been playing so well.
“He was bummed, he was sad,” Black said. “Because — we’ve talked about it, and I think he’s talked about it — he really felt as though this year could be a year for him to really come out and show the talent that he has. “And I think he was really excited for that opportunity. In a lot of ways, right? He felt it physically, I think mentally (too). He was ready to take on the challenge of being an everyday big-league player.”
Black on Bird. First baseman Greg Bird, a graduate of Grandview High School, likely needs to turn it on to make the roster. He’s batting just 4-for-27 with one homer and three RBIs.
“There is an at-bat that is professional,” Black said. “I think he has good strike-zone awareness. He swings at strikes, takes balls. He seems to be getting back on his feet heath-wise, and that is a good thing.
“We are taking a hard look at him. We’ll see how this plays out the next week to 10 days.”
