Jhoulys Chacin Hopeful About Injury; MRI Monday

Update 4/22/13: Chacin officially landed on the 15-day DL with a lower back strain and will miss at least his next two starts.

What was perhaps as unsettling as anything else surrounding Jhoulys Chacin‘s injury Friday night was his own reaction to it. Of course not many of us saw his downtrodden disposition for ourselves, so we are left to take the word of Denver Post beat writer Patrick Saunders. From last night:

"You could tell by his words and by the way he spoke in the clubhouse after Friday night’s game that Rockies No. 1 starter Jhoulys Chacin is concerned about the injury that derailed him in the seventh inning Friday night.Asked if he was worried, Chacin said, “A little bit. I don’t want to miss a start or something, I just want to keep pitching, especially the way we are playing right now. Everything is going well and I want to keep helping the team."

For now it is good news for Chacin. Image: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Today Chacin feels better. He is in less pain and more optimistic about his status moving forward. This improvement indicates that this injury is likely back spasms rather than the dreaded left oblique strain it was thought to be last night. As such, Chacin sounds more hopeful now (also from the Denver Post):

"I’m feeling way better…I don’t think it’s the oblique, maybe just something in my lower back. Like in spring training."

For what it’s worth, head trainer extraordinaire Keith Dugger is also encouraged that this might be a minor injury:

"This is 100 percent better than if it was an oblique strain."

Saunders does not that Chacin will still likely miss at least one start. That might become a start or two as a precautionary measure this early in the season. Does that mean Drew Pomeranz gets a crack at the Rockies’ rotation earlier than expected? If that is the case, you have to like his chances to stay for good, eventually ousting our old buddy Jeff Francis. But it seems that if the Rockies are even a little unsure that Pomeranz is ready to move up and stay up, they should look for another option for these spot starts. And you know what that means…

…Aaron Cook, ladies and gentlemen!

The Rockies will deal with that issue later. For now, it is good news about Chacin. We all still have to sweat out a confirmation MRI Monday, so here’s hoping that this is indeed a minor injury and nothing more this early in the season.