Blackmon strained his hamstring on Tuesday and will be replaced on the roster by Sam Hilliard.
On Friday afternoon, the Colorado Rockies made a series of roster moves prior to the series opener against the Washington Nationals.
Right fielder and designated hitter Charlie Blackmon is being placed on the 10-day Injured List with right hamstring tightness. Blackmon left Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning after he pulled up to third base grabbing the back of his leg and clearly appeared injured when he was driven home on a subsequent play.
Blackmon was hoping to avoid the IL and attempted to run this afternoon, but the Rockies decided he would need to miss additional time.
In a corresponding roster move, the Rockies have selected the contract of outfielder Sam Hilliard from Triple-A Albuquerque.
Hilliard, 30, originally came up in the Rockies system before being traded to the Atlanta Braves following the 2022 season. The Rockies reunited with him this offseason when they claimed him via waivers from the Baltimore Orioles, and he competed for the fourth outfielder spot during spring training.
After being designated for assignment once the backup outfielder role went to Jake Cave, Hilliard was outrighted to the Isotopes.
The slugging outfielder has been enjoying his reunion with the Isotopes, hitting .288/.374/.542 over 65 games while slugging 15 doubles, five triples, and 14 home runs. He also became the Isotopes’ all-time franchise leader in home runs.
With this move, the Rockies’ 40-man roster is full.
Additionally, second baseman Adael Amador (no. 1 PuRP) is being placed on the 10-day IL with a mild right oblique strain.
Amador injured his oblique in Thursday’s series finale against the Dodgers after a swing during his at-bat. The Rockies’ top prospect dealt with a similar injury earlier this season with the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats, and the hope is that he will recover quickly.
Second baseman Brendan Rodgers will be activated from the 10-day IL to replace Amador. Rodgers was originally placed on the IL retroactive to June 8th with a left hamstring strain, and he began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque. In his first rehab appearance he went 1-for-4 with a bases-clearing three-RBI double. The Rockies originally intended for Rodgers to have one more rehab start, but the injury to Amador necessitated his activation.
The Rockies also provided an update on catcher Elias Díaz, who went on the 10-day IL retroactive to June 11th with a left calf strain. The strain had been bothering him for several weeks, but he attempted to play through it.
Díaz will not be coming off the injured list this weekend, and Rockies manager Bud Black believes he will need roughly one more week.
Díaz, 33, has been one of the key players to the Rockies’ offense this season, hitting .303/.352/.439 with five home runs. Now in the final year of his contract with the Rockies, Díaz is expected to be shopped prior to this year’s trade deadline and it’s unclear how this injury might affect his value to other teams.
In other injury-related news, left-handed pitcher Kyle Freeland is expected to be activated from the 60-day IL on Sunday. The Rockies will need to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for his activation.
Right-handed pitcher Germán Márquez is continuing his rehab assignment and will pitch with the High-A Spokane Indians on Saturday.
Per #Rockies manager Bud Black:
Kyle Freeland will pitch on SUNDAY vs the Nationals!
German Márquez will throw Saturday in Spokane! pic.twitter.com/VAvGrsUIeB
— Blake Street Banter ⚾ (@blakestbanter) June 20, 2024