Josh Rutledge placed on DL with viral infection; Ryan Wheeler recalled from Triple-A

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Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Yet another injury has befallen the Colorado Rockies, and this one sounds especially unpleasant in a manner different than the other injuries on the roster.

Utility infielder Josh Rutledge was placed on the 15 day disabled list on Friday with a viral infection. Per the Colorado Rockies PR Twitter feed:

Rutledge had acquitted himself nicely thus far as a reserve for the Rockies, batting .318 in 25 plate appearances with one authoritative home run this past weekend in the team’s series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

MLB.com

As for Wheeler, this will be his first appearance with the big club this season. He has sputtered a little bit thus far in Colorado Springs, batting .247/.286/.402 so far through 24 games. He was first in line for such a promotion with some experience in the big leagues and his ability to bring some pop off the bench. He needs to show some life soon, however, as his numbers in 2013 did not exactly overwhelm: .220/.238/.268 in an admittedly small sample of 28 games. 

Depth has been an issue for the Rockies in recent seasons. Maybe they have it in 2014 and maybe they don’t, but at this rate we will find out one way or another before long.