Colorado Rockies injury news: Gerardo Parra undergoes hand surgery

According to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, Colorado Rockies outfielder Gerardo Parra is recovering after undergoing surgery on his right hand.

Parra underwent the surgery last week to remove the broken hook of the hamate bone in his right hand. He is expected to return to action somewhere around March 8-10.

According to Harding, Parra was already in Scottsdale and going through batting practice when he felt pain in his hand. An MRI revealed the injury.

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The 30-year-old Parra hit .309 with 10 home runs and 71 RBI in 2017. That includes a torrid .571 stretch in 14 June at-bats before injuring his quad in a game against the Cleveland Indians at Coors Field on June 6. He went on the disabled list and returned on July 7 and proceeded to post a .443 average in 61 July at-bats.

Parra is expected to be one of Colorado’s starting outfielders this season. With the expected departure of Carlos Gonzalez, it is widely thought that Parra could shift to right field while David Dahl or Ian Desmond holds down left field. However, an injury or slow recovery from it could open the door for more competition for a starting outfield spot from someone like Raimel Tapia.

The Rockies need a strong season from Parra, who bounced back from a dismal 2016 debut after signing a three-year contract with Colorado during the proceeding offseason. Parra hit just .253 with seven home runs and 39 RBI while seeing action in just 102 games. He also struck out 73 times while drawing just nine walks.

Parra upped those numbers dramatically in 2017, including 67 strikeouts and 20 walks in 392 at-bats (compared to 368 at-bats the previous season).

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Yes, injuries have been a bit of a concern for Parra during his time with the Rockies. However, Harding notes that this injury is expected to cause Parra to miss limited time. We are scheduled to be in Arizona for Parra’s return from injury and will being you the latest from Scottsdale.