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Rockies OF prospect David Dahl could be cleared to play by end of June

Dahl is progressing well while rehabbing from a splenectomy, but the decision about how soon he can return to action ultimately lies in the hands of the Rockies.

Colorado Rockies outfield prospect David Dahl, who underwent a splenectomy on June 1, could be cleared to return to action by the end of this month, a source told Purple Row.

Dahl is rehabbing now and "feels great," according to the source. Still, even if he is medically cleared to play in a few weeks, the decision about when to actually allow Dahl to return to action will lie in the hands of the Rockies' brass, who might prefer to act in a more cautious manner.

The Rockies' top pick in the 2012 MLB Draft elected to have his spleen removed four days after suffering a severe laceration in a collision with Double-A New Britain teammate Juan Ciriaco. For the rest of his life, Dahl will face a higher risk of infection than a person with a spleen but won't be in danger of rupturing the organ as would've been the case had he chosen to keep it.

Dahl, 21, owns a .269/.296/.379 line in his first Double-A season. After struggling through April, the Alabama native began to become comfortable at the plate in May, hitting .307/.320/.436 prior to the injury.

Dahl is the Rockies' No. 1 overall prospect, according to Baseball America, and ranks 22nd in all of baseball. Purple Row prior to the season had Dahl No. 2 on its PuRPs list, behind only Triple-A starting pitcher Jon Gray.