The news that shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has a broken wrist, and is likely to be out of the line-up for at least a month, if not longer, presents the Colorado Rockies with a dilemma. For he was among their most productive position players - his WAR value trailed only catcher Miguel Olive, so it’s hard to see the team suffering a more damaging blow. Except, of course, someone inserting Kryptonite into Ubaldo Jimenez’s glove.
What Are The Rockies’ Option With Tulowitzki Out?
The initial plan is for everyday second-baseman Clint Barmes to move to shortstop, while the most likely candidate for the spot created at second-base is probably Jonathan Herrera. Chris Nelson, the Rockies' first-round pick in 2004, has been called up and will make his major-league debut as a result. He was hitting .311/.384/.508 at Triple-A - but that was at Colorado Springs, which is about 750 feet higher than Denver. I'm not sure if they have a humidor...
The Denver Post reports Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd "will be looking at possible trades while Tulowitzki is out, to add infield depth." It's an interesting dilemma for Colorado, because the expected outage is significant, but is far from season-ending. How much do the team want to give up for what could be only a month's rental? They will probably wait to see how Herrera and Nelson do, and also how Tulowitzki's rehab goes before making a decision.
The flexibility of the team's infield is probably of help here, as it means the Rockies do not have to replace a short-stop. They could get a second-baseman or even possibly someone to play third, and just shift things around. However, they can't afford to fall behind much further in the tight NL West - CoolStandings.com currently gives them less than a 1-in-4 shot of making the playoffs. This injury will certainly not help their cause.
Check out Purple Row for Colorado fan reaction to the news.
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