Carlos Gonzalez Not in Lineup for Tonight’s Game

The Colorado Rockies announced their lineup for the series finale tonight versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. And to no one’s real surprise, right fielder Carlos Gonzalez is not in the starting lineup.

Carlos Gonzalez twisted his right ankle when leaving the batter’s box in his last plate appearance in last night’s win. Gonzalez had to be helped off the field by the team’s training staff.

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Fortunately after the game it was reported that X-rays on the ankle came back negative. After losing shortstop Trevor Story to a season-ending injury (torn ligament in his right thumb), the last thing the Rockies need is a long-term injury to another key component of their offense.

Since the All-Star break, Gonzalez is batting .338 with four home runs (tied for second-best on team) and 21 RBIs (best on team). It is this production which helped general manager Jeff Bridich decide to hold on to him through the non-waiver trade deadline.

Last night, Gonzalez had stated he hoped to play in tonight’s game.

“I’m a little sore,” Gonzalez said via Nick Kosmider of the Denver Post. “I sprained it a little bit, but I’m walking fine. It’s happened before, so they say that’s a good sign. We’ll see how it feels (Thursday). Hopefully I’ll be able to play and help the team.”

Here is tonight’s lineup:

It isn’t a surprise to see Gonzalez absent from the lineup for tonight. There is nothing to gain and a lot to lose if Gonzalez were to play tonight and further damaged the ankle.

Just remember Gerardo Parra. He badly sprained his ankle back on June 15 and he is yet to re-appear for the Rockies (though he is close to returning – he is currently playing at Triple-A Albuquerque on a rehab assignment).

The Rockies need to give CarGo a couple of days off and see how his ankle responds to treatment. The offense is rolling right now and should be able to still generate enough runs in CarGo’s absence.

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All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com unless otherwise indicated.