Colorado Rockies: Brendan Rodgers out for at least a month due to hamstring injury

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black spoke with the media on Friday morning and he gave an update on infielder Brendan Rodgers.

Despite the Rockies being “encouraged” with progress after sustaining the injury last week, the Rockies infielder will be out at least a month with a hamstring strain.

The Rockies were hoping to turn to Rodgers, 24, to be the team’s everyday second baseman but now, Black indicated that the Rockies will likely turn back to Ryan McMahon to man the position.

McMahon was slated to be the team’s everyday third baseman after the departure of Nolan Arenado. They will likely transition to Josh Fuentes being the everyday third baseman for the time being.

More from Rox Pile

• A Colorado Rockies Thanksgiving
• Colorado Rockies: What if Todd Helton had played football instead?
• Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon out for the season
• Colorado Rockies: Injuries shift look of roster ahead of Dodgers series
• Colorado Rockies: Has Sean Bouchard earned a second look in 2023?

Fuentes, who mainly played first base last year for the Rockies, was projected to be a bench player to start the season in the wake of the club’s signing of first baseman C.J. Cron.

Rodgers has been hampered by injuries recently as, last year, he missed most of the season due to shoulder surgery. He also missed 2019 due to shoulder issues. As a result, he only played in 69 games in the two seasons combined.

Rodgers started off slow to start the spring (particularly defensively) but he rebounded nicely as he was hitting .348 with two home runs and five RBI with an OPS of 1.052 in 23 at-bats before suffering the injury on the basepaths on March 17 against the Seattle Mariners.

If it is only a month that Rodgers is out, he would be ready to play around April 20th, when the Rockies would face Houston at Coors. However, with hamstring injuries, they often take longer to heal than expected, as shown by this and Chris Owings last season.

With Rodgers being out, the Rockies will have to determine whether or not to carry a four- or five-man bench. The Rockies five most likely options are Dom Nunez, Chris Owings, Greg Bird, one of Garrett Hampson and Sam Hilliard (with the other starting in center field), and Yonathan Daza. Daza is out of minor league options but with his hot start in spring and the injury to Rodgers, he may be able to get on the Rockies 26-man roster for Opening Day.

Daza has hit .433 with one home run and four RBI and an OPS of 1.067 in 30 spring training at-bats.

This story may be updated later.