Colorado Rockies Must Overcome Another Injury with Jon Gray Heading to DL

The Colorado Rockies are probably scouring through the videotape and visitor logs from their spring training complex in Scottsdale right about now. They’re trying to figure out exactly what brought the injury curse upon this team this season.

Exactly how many black cats were running around Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in March? Inquiring minds want to know.

When Jon Gray was diagnosed with a broken left foot on Friday, it brought about another head-shaking result for a team that seems (yes, still seems) primed to compete for a playoff spot. The Colorado ace is now in a walking boot, on the 10-day disabled list, and reportedly out for at least a month of action.

Colorado skipper Bud Black has yet to use injuries for any type of excuse for a Rockies loss, including Friday night’s pounding by the San Francisco Giants. However, there’s no question that the mounting injuries are starting to take its toll.

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It’s a team that has already lost Gray and Chad Bettis from the rotation. A squad that has yet to see its most prized offensive offseason acquisition (Ian Desmond), one of its top rookies (David Dahl) or one of its best catching prospects in some time (Tom Murphy) take the field. Each has been shelved by injuries suffered in spring training.

Desmond could be back by the end of the month and Murphy may be around that same time frame. However, that’s still two weeks away. Also, by the time April ends, the Rockies will have played 12 games against the teams who figure to be the main threats in the National League West (San Francisco and the Los Angeles Dodgers). Those could be key games as the season winds down … and the Rockies are playing them short-handed.

Yes, the Rockies are just 12 games into the season and entered Saturday just a half-game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the division lead. That’s the good news. However, it’s also a team that features a bench with Cristhian Adames (0-for-9 this season), Alexi Amarista (1-for-7) and Stephen Cardullo (0-for-15). That, along with the injuries, is part of the bad news.

But back to the good news. Yes, help is on the way. When Desmond, Dahl and Murphy return, Colorado’s depth (and its bench) will improve dramatically. Those days can’t come soon enough for a Rockies team that has seen its offense struggling to score.

Gray’s injury is the latest tempest the Rockies will have to overcome to keep their season going strong. They’ve already overcome a lot to start the season with an early winning record. If Colorado can continue that trend, people will look back on the injury-riddled start to the season as what brought the team together.

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Black cats or not, this is a talented team. Now it just has to have all of its pieces on the field to show off its true potential.