Colorado Rockies roster moves: DJ LeMahieu back to the disabled list

The Colorado Rockies just announced before their series opening game with the San Diego Padres on Monday that they made some roster moves.

The Colorado Rockies just announced that they placed second baseman DJ LeMahieu on the 10-day disabled list with a left thumb sprain. In a corresponding move, the Rockies recalled infielder Pat Valaika from Triple-A Albuquerque.

This is the second time that LeMahieu has been on the disabled list for the Rockies this season. His first stint on the disabled list was due to a right hamstring strain that he suffered in Miami. He had just returned from his DL stint on last Tuesday.

In his return, he was 5-for-22 (.227 batting average), with only one RBI and no extra base hits.

In 2018, LeMahieu has an offensive slash line of .279/.350/.457 with an OPS+ of 106, eight doubles, five home runs, and 13 RBI.

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Pat Valaika

Valaika was just recently optioned to Triple-A after an awful start to 2018. He had an offensive slash line of .103/.175/.155 and an atrocious OPS+ of -14. The last game he appeared in at the major league level was on May 5 against the New York Mets. In that game, he went 1-for-3 with a single and strikeout.

At Triple-A Albuquerque, he only appeared in five games with the Isotopes and he struggled in five games there. He went 3-for-17 (.176 batting average), with a .211 on-base percentage, and a meager slugging percentage of .176. All three hits that he had were singles.

Final Thoughts

It’s unfortunate for the Rockies that LeMahieu has to hit the DL twice in such a short period of time. Considering that LeMahieu has been one of the few bright spots, it is not good for the team. Also too, even though Pat Valaika gives the team more depth at first base behind Ian Desmond‘s awful start to the season, obviously, he hasn’t done much better.

Next: Putting Ian Desmond's atrocious start in perspective

At this point, the last thing that the Rockies need is a key offensive player out for at least another ten days.