Hunter Goodman, the Colorado Rockies’ two-time All-Star catcher and a total run-producing beast, is officially on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder strain. This is a massive hit to the club, with the move made retroactive to August 15. Goodman has been absolutely mashing the ball all year, racking up a .251/.320/.541 slash line alongside a monstrous 34 home runs and 69 RBI. Talk about a guy carrying the offense, right?
A Key Bat Sidelined Right When They Need Him
This isn’t some minor bump in the road. Goodman missed the entire series against the San Francisco Giants, then sat out the series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers before the IL move became official. It’s a bummer, especially since he played the whole series in Arizona last week, catching the first two games and then DHing in the third. Even there, he was struggling, going just 1-for-9 with only a triple to show for it. Before hitting the IL, Goodman was even scratched from the lineup hours before first pitch in three of the last four games, so this has been brewing. When a key run-producer like that is out, every single at-bat counts even more.
Who Steps Up Now?
With Goodman sidelined, the Rockies are bringing up Braxton Fulford from Triple-A Albuquerque. Now, Fulford’s numbers in Albuquerque were pretty sweet: a .270/.399/.484 slash with five home runs and 21 RBI in 35 games. That’s solid Pacific Coast League production. But the big-league translation? Not so much, at least not yet. In 40 games with the Rockies this season, Fulford is batting a lean .177/.254/.290 with one home run and seven RBI. It looks like his hit tool and plate discipline haven’t quite clicked at the major league level yet. The good news for Rockies fans is that Brett Sullivan has been stepping up a bit, batting .316 (6-for-19) with three homers and eight RBIs during the last road trip. The Rockies are going to need more of that as they figure out how to replace a 34-homer bat.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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