Colorado Rockies: Injury updates on Kyle Freeland, Brendan Rodgers, and Peter Lambert

On Friday, manager Bud Black provided some injury updates on left-handed starting pitcher Kyle Freeland, infielder Brendan Rodgers, and he gave furtner updates on Saturday with those two along with right-handed pitcher Peter Lambert.

“Freeland threw today,” said Black on Friday. “He threw off a slope. I think we are going to classify tomorrow as his first bullpen session throwing on the side, which is a great sign. [For] Brendan, again, [he’s] improving.“[He’s] hitting on the field [and he’s] doing some of the stuff in the weight room, strengthening. He’s probably close to being back on the grass and running and once he’s running and moving, the next step is moving with groundballs but those two guys are progressing well.”

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Black gave an update on Freeland’s bullpen for the Rockies on Saturday.

During the pre-game Zoom call on Saturday, Black said that it was a “normal Kyle Freeland bullpen” and he said that everything went well. Black said Freeland threw “right around” 25 pitches at “probably 85, 90 percent effort level”

As for Lambert, Black told us on Saturday that he is “progressing” as his “regimented throwing program” for Tommy John surgery recovery is doing well. Black said that Lambert is “hitting every mark on that.”

However, Black is still “not sure exactly when (throwing from) the mound is coming but, probably, within the next three weeks or so, Peter will get up on the mound, or sooner but still, he’s months away from any major league competition.”

Lambert went under the knife for Tommy John surgery in July 2020 so, if he returns in 2021 at all, he will likely return after the All-Star break since the average timetable for a return from it is 12-18 months.

With Freeland and Rodgers, they are obviously much closer to returning to the Rockies but their returns are still not imminent but their progress in the next week or so will determine whether or not they are ready in the ensuing few weeks as they ramp up their stamina (in Freeland’s case) and on the field defensively and with baserunning (in Rodgers’ case).