Colorado Rockies Lose Tulowitzki and Gonzalez for the Season
The Colorado Rockies are mired in last place in the National League West 30 games under .500 and 22 games out of first place.
On Friday, Troy Tulowitzki the club’s All-Star shortstop had left hip surgery that will sideline him the rest of this season.
Tulowitzki was batting .340, which remains No. 1 in the majors. However, he has a torn labrum on the hip, the team announced following a loss to San Diego.
The Rockies also announced that Carlos Gonzalez an outfielder will miss the remainder of this season as well.
Gonzalez is currently on the 15-day disabled list for tendinitis. The club had hoped that sitting him 15 days would help his situation.
Nevertheless, an MRI Wednesday revealed that his knee is getting worse.
Tulowitzki was put on the 15-day DL on July 22. Three days previously, he hurt his hip while running out a ground ball against Pittsburgh.
This was the first trip Tulowitzki has made to the DL during this season. However, he has taken certain days off due to chronically tight legs.
His issues with his legs have bothered the Colorado shortstop since 2008, when he tore a quadriceps tendon.
Gonzalez is currently hitting .238 with 11 home runs and 38 runs batted in. The outfielder has played just 70 games during the season due to a trip earlier to the DL due to a left index finger that was inflamed that caused him to miss five weeks.
On Thursday night, the Rockies announced that Gonzalez would have surgery on his knee on Monday that would end his season.
The patella tendon will be repaired in the surgery, said team doctors during the announcement on Thursday night.
Gonzalez has had a season to forget with different injuries. Besides missing time for his index finger, the outfielder also was out for a sprained ankle.
Gonzalez said the passion and the fire were still in him, but it has been dampened with the tough physical issues he has faced.
He says one day he can have 3 hits, including a home run and extend a single to a double. However, the next he day he arrives at the ballpark feeling as if he was hit by a bus.
The veteran said it was difficult to play when you think to yourself that you hope no one hits the ball in your direction during the game since you cannot move well on the knee or ankle.
Gonzalez said, for him it was difficult to concentrate at the plate. He said instead of wondering the pitches he was going to be thrown, he thought about how bad his knee hurt, how bad he felt and how much more could he take.
With two of the best offensive players now out with injuries for the rest of the season, the Rockies offensive output should decline a tremendous amount.
Walt Weiss the Rockies manager said that everyone thought that Tulowitzki would need surgery for his hip and unfortunately, that is what will take place.
