Colorado Rockies injury updates: Kyle Freeland and Brendan Rodgers

During his morning call with the media on Monday, Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black gave an update on two of his players who will start the 2021 season on the shelf because of injuries.

Here is the latest on the injuries suffered by Kyle Freeland and Brendan Rodgers of the Colorado Rockies.

Rodgers suffered a hamstring injury attempting to steal second base in a game against the Seattle Mariners on March 13. Black has expressed optimism that the hamstring injury is not a long-term issue that would keep Rodgers, who was expected by many to start the season for the Rockies at second base, out of the lineup for long into April. Estimates, however, are that Rodgers will miss the first couple of weeks of the season.

“His work has increased as far as intensity and activity,” Black told reporters, including Rox Pile. “He’s been playing catch all along. He was riding a stationary bike for the last week. Now he’s on his feet and jogging. He’s been in the batting cage, hitting, so that’s a good thing.“There’s progression. He’s on a nice path right now.”

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There is no exact timetable for Rodgers’ return. Ryan McMahon, Chris Owings, and Garrett Hampson are candidates to see time at second base in Rodgers’ absence.

Meanwhile, Freeland was penciled in to start the second game of the season for the Rockies (slated for Friday, April 2 at Coors Field against the Los Angeles Dodgers). However, a shoulder strain suffered on the mound on March 23 against the Oakland A’s (you can see the video here) derailed those plans. Imaging has shown that the injury is not as bad as first feared, but Freeland is expected to miss at least a month with the strain.

While that news is not welcome by Rockies fans, Black said on Monday that Freeland has already begun slowly working toward his return.

“Kyle is in the early stages of some strengthening exercises,” Black said. “We will monitor that very cautiously, but Kyle’s doing well.”

Of course, those injuries aren’t the only ones to have impacted the Rockies this spring. Reliever Scott Oberg, expected to be a big part of the 2021 bullpen, has once again undergone surgery for blood clots and will be lost for the season.