Follow Jorge De La Rosa’s Rehab Start from “The Lab”

Sep 12, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa (29) throws the ball against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Jorge De La Rosa starts tonight, but not for the Rockies. De La Rosa will be back in Albuquerque for his second rehab start. De La Rosa is recovering from a groin injury. It was believed he was ready after his first start in Albuquerque last week but after arriving back in Colorado Friday, more medical testing was done and the team decided to send him back to Albuquerque for another start. De La Rosa’s first start was shaky at times but he delivered the pitches he needed to get out of trouble. He only pitched 4 innings before hitting his 65 pitch limit and being pulled for Jon Gray.

I will have all the information here on Roxpile.com as well as on my twitter, @Troybuquerque. I will break out information as fast as we receive it.

De La Rosa felt good following the game but the Rockies saw it differently, “They want to make sure I’m good,” De La Rosa said. “I didn’t pitch very much in spring.” According to the Denver Post, De La Rosa will be on a five-inning or 75-pitch limit for the Isotopes tonight against the Tacoma Rainiers. Game is at 6:35 MT and can be seen on MILB.TV.

The Rockies won’t need De La Rosa to start until April 20th. This will give them ample time to make sure he is ready. Rockies Manager, Walt Weiss is ready for his best weapon to be back but they must be sure. “We could bring him back, but he’s not quite built up enough yet,” Weiss said. “We want to give him more time to build up some confidence in the groin.”

If he is not completely healthy following this game, he may not return to the Isotopes. The Isotopes will be in Reno during his next start and the Rockies may not want him in a road game. Obviously the best situation will be him starting against the Padres in Coors Field on the 20th but if not it could be Reno or with the Modesto Nuts or in extended Spring Training in Scottsdale, AZ. Tonight’s start will answer most questions regarding De La Rosa’s health and a strong 5 inning, 75 pitch outing would go a long way to letting Weiss and company know that De La Rosa is ready to lead this hot, West Division leading, Rockies team to a division title.

What did you think of De La Rosa’s Rehab starts? Is there a player in Albuquerque you need to know more about it? Tweet it to me or let me know in the comments below.