Chris Nelson appears to need season-ending surgery on the torn ligament in his right wrist, although it has been temporarily postponed while he seeks a second opinion. Nelson originally injured the wrist while sliding back on May 8th, and probably made it worse by trying to return 11 days later. This is a tough break for Nelson, who missed a large chunk of last season as well. He was hitting a respectable .280/.355/.477 at the time he went down, and looked to be building off of what he started in the Arizona Fall League this past off-season, where he garnered rave reviews for his quick bat, speed, and overall athleticism. The 23-year-old prospect still has time to make a big-leaguer out of himself, but so far his progress has been slow, and this doesn't help matters much.
Franklin Morales was officially optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs before yesterday's game. Jim Tracy was obviously discouraged by Morales' disappointing start the other night, but on the other hand, he doesn't really need to mess with the big league rotation at the moment, either. Morales was able to find the strike zone in his start, but did not show good control within said zone, and his velocity was WAY down (averaging 88 MPH) - something that has been a concern for the past season and a half now. Within the same story, Jack Etkin mentioned that Taylor Buchholz will throw a bullpen session today and if it goes well, he will travel to Modesto on Tuesday to begin a 30-day rehab assignment.
A couple of different articles highlight Ian Stewart's current hot streak - here and here. The latter gives an update on injured utility man Jeff Baker, who will begin hitting off a tee today.
This Bleacher Report piece on Jason Grilli's departure for Texas features our very own Poseidon's Fist, who gave his thoughts on the Gas Can's exit from Denver (and points out that the Rangers have been the Rockies' very own garbage truck this season). The article also mistakenly refers to this blog as "Purple Cow." Fair enough.
Speaking of Posiedon's Fist, I'm sure he'll be at the Rowbot (or should I call it Cowbot?) BBQ today...if you're in the Denver area and are all for having a good time, stop by and share some food, drinks, and conversation with other members of Purple Row - details here. I will be there in spirit.