Michael Cuddyer won’t play many more games with the Rockies

The Colorado Rockies do not need Michael Cuddyer. That is true in a pure numbers sense, though perhaps it overlooks the importance of Cuddyer’s leadership and presence in the locker room.

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But truly, just in terms of objective analysis of production, the outstanding work from Corey Dickerson and Justin Morneau this season have made Cuddyer very movable as the trade deadline approaches. Unfortunately a deal is not possible as things stand right now because of the uncertainty with Cuddyer’s health. And more importantly, the fact that they do not “need” him does not make it any less depressing that he might be with another team soon.

On Sunday morning Cuddyer painted an even more bleak picture in terms of his health, noting that his MRI this week is a key moment. If the results are bad, Cuddy might be down for the rest of the season. As quoted in the Denver Post, here is what Cuddyer had to say:

"“That will be six weeks,” he said of the schedule for the pending MRI . “If it’s healed by then, then I will start my strengthening and rehab. If it’s not healed, it’s probably going to be another couple of weeks in a sling. Obviously, we are are hoping for the former.“If it’s not healed, it would be tough to come back. I’m not saying it wouldn’t happen, but it would be tough. (The Rockies’ medical staff) is fairly confident that it will be healed.”"

Worse yet, even if he does come back it could be brief if the Rockies can find a deal for him before the waivers trade deadline.

It’s not impossible to envision a scenario where Cuddyer is back in Colorado next season, but the combination of this injury and his free agency at season’s end is making it feel less and less likely. We might not get to watch Cuddy as a Rockie many more times, if at all. That is just another bit of sad news in one huge bummer of a season.