Nolan Arenado sat out Sunday’s finale against the Angels with a sore AC joint in his left shoulder. This injury has been bothering him for much of season. Sitting out on Sunday gives him an extra day of rest with an off day already scheduled for today. Avoiding a stint on the IL with only a few games left would be the ideal scenario.
Is it possible this lingering soreness is what is causing a lot of his offensive woes? In Arenado’s last three games, he has gone 2-for-12 with two strikeouts. That is far from the Nolan Arenado that Rockies fans are used to seeing.
Arenado, the Rockies star third baseman, has been looking less than his best this season. He currently has a .772 OPS which is his lowest mark since his debut in 2013 where he ended season with a .706 OPS, though that mark puts him at about average across the league. And while the 43 games he’s played in so far this season is only a small sample size compared to a normal length season, his .261/.311/.461 slash line is a major difference from his .315/.379/.583 in 2019 or even his .297/.374/.561 from 2018.
If Nolan Arenado continues to have discomfort, any stint on the IL will leave a gaping hole defensively at third base and will likely mean that he would be out the remainder of the season. The options currently on the roster that could replace him are Ryan McMahon, who started at third on Sunday with Arenado’s absence, or Josh Fuentes. The very last possible option, as was pointed out in Purple Row’s State of the Position, Brendan Rodgers could also play there if absolutely necessary, however shifting McMahon to third and putting Rodgers or Garrett Hampson at second seems to be the most logical solution.
Despite the soreness, Arenado is determined the finish the season. The hope is that receiving treatment and having two days to rest, he will return to the lineup against the Oakland A’s on Tuesday.
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Tapia exits early, dealing with dizziness | MLB.com
Raimel Tapia exited Sunday’s game early after feeling dizzy directly following a diving catch. He was already feeling under the weather prior to entering Sunday’s game but after being jarred by the catch, trainers felt it was best to have him exit the game.
Series loss leaves Rox faced with hard task | MLB.com
Losing another series to kick off the final home stand was not what the Rockies wanted, or needed. The team needs to find a way to win if they want to make the post season.
One player that will be noticeably missing as the Rockies take on the A’s will be Matt Chapman. He and Nolan Arenado are regarded as two of the best third baseman in the league. Both Arenado and Chapman won the Platinum Glove award last season. Chapman is scheduled to undergo hip surgery today and will miss the remainder of the season.
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