Rockies Notebook: Sterlin Thompson, Michael Lorenzen and Mounting Injuries

DENVER, Colo. — With 12 players on the IL, the injury bug hasn’t bitten the Colorado Rockies so much as it has feasted on them. 

Manager Warren Schaeffer addressed the health of some of his most important players, only to have one more get added to the IL shortly before the first pitch of a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The trio of outfielders who hit the injury list in the span of four days is still a ways off from returning to a 24-40 club hoping to avoid 100 losses for the fourth consecutive season.

Jordan Beck, out since May 18 with a left hamstring strain, is progressing following a PPP injection. Brenton Doyle (left oblique contusion) is doing better than when first injured on May 19, but has yet to begin baseball activities and is a ways out from returning.

The report pertaining to Mickey Moniak is the most promising of the group. Moniak, who posted a .942 OPS before being sidelined with right ankle tendonitis on May 22, is hoping for a rehab assignment sooner than later before returning to Colorado’s lineup.

“I think he’s feeling better,” Schaeffer said. “He did some stuff, hit off the tee while we were in Anaheim. So, he’s progressing. Hopefully we have Mickey back soon.”

The most hopeful information related to a pair of relievers. Jimmy Herget (right shoulder impingement) and Victor Vodnik (right ulnar nerve inflammation) are set to throw 20-25 pitches during live BP on Saturday before going out for two rehab outings with Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday.

News on a few other pitchers was not as hopeful. 

Jose Quintana, on the 60-day IL with a left elbow strain and ineligible to return until July 24, received a PRP injection and will be in a brace for two weeks. Welinton Herrera, another member of the 60-day IL, is in the process of getting a second opinion for a UCL tear in his left arm. Chase Dollander’s UCL sprain has kept the 24-year-old from throwing a baseball since May 15. 

Moments before a 9-7 loss in 10 innings to Milwaukee, Colorado announced Saturday’s starter, Tanner Gordon, was going on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 2, with a right hip impingement.

Healthy, But Hurting

Two free agent signings are the only members of the Rockies’ rotation to have taken the ball every five days, give or take. Tomoyuki Sugano has been effective with his 3.98 ERA over 12 starts, while Michael Lorenzen has struggled to the tune of an 8.01 ERA. 

Schaeffer has been impressed with Sugano’s pre-game planning and his ability to keep crooked numbers off the board despite allowing 11 home runs. However, all 11 have been solo homers.

“(Sugano) knows exactly what he can do with his arsenal, against which hitters he can do it with. And then he goes out there and he executes it,” Schaeffer said. “He stays out of the middle very well, he stays off barrels, and that’s been in big innings on a regular basis… That’s a pro that’s been doing it a very long time.”

Lorenzen, who’s also given up 11 long balls, has not had the same levels of success. 

The SoCal native who spent his 2022 season with the Los Angeles Angels returned to The Big A on Thursday with the Rockies. He was unable to finish the fourth inning for the fourth time in 13 starts. A six-run second inning put any hopes of a three-game sweep against the Halos to rest. 

When it was all said and done, Lorenzen surrendered eight runs in 3.1 innings of work, boosting his already bloated earned run average up to 8.01 on the season. For pitchers with at least 10 starts, Lorenzen has the second-worst ERA in the sport behind only his teammate Kyle Freeland’s 8.06 ERA. 

“The thing that I want to get across about Michael is that he’s been doing this for a very, very long time,” Schaeffer said. “He knows his body well, he knows what he needs to do, he’s a professional. Some people go through stretches where it’s not good, and Mike’s going through that right now, but it could change as soon as the next start. That’s how much confidence I have in him, and his ability to see a problem, address a problem, find a solution, and move forward.”

As one of four active pitchers with 400 or more appearances and 100 or more starts alongside Chris Sale, Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander, Lorenzen will continue to get the benefit of the doubt. Include the spate of injuries to the starting staff, and the 34-year-old will continue to ascend the bump each turn in the rotation. 

A Sterling Start

Sterlin Thompson had to settle for a big league debut as a pinch-runner on May 15. He went 1-for-7 over his next two games before receiving a plane ticket back to Triple-A Albuquerque.

An injury to Moniak allowed Thompson another opportunity to impress in the majors after slashing .341/.485/.496 to lead the Pacific Coast League in OBP.

The next 10 days produced his first extra-base hit and RBI, but the 24-year-old continued to struggle with replicating his minor league success. In Anaheim, his fortune began to change with his first multi-hit performance on June 1.

“I think he’s getting more comfortable as it goes on here,” said Schaeffer. “It’s hard for a player to come up here and immediately contribute with all the emotions that you have when you first come up. He’s finally starting to settle in. I think each game you can see a progression towards that… He takes walks, he sees a lot of pitches, he’s an even splits guy against left-handed pitching.”

Thompson started a ninth-inning rally on Friday that pushed the game into extras. In the 10th, he followed that up with a 2-RBI single that kept another going for the Rockies. It was a three-hit performance for Thompson that has seen the Longmont, Colorado-born player go 6-for-16 (.375) in the month of June. 

“It’s good to see that he’s starting to feel comfortable with himself as himself,” said Schaeffer.