Antonio Senzatela to have Tommy John; Kyle Freeland avoids surgery

The Rockies shared a bit of good news Friday, quickly followed by bad news. And so it goes in 2023.

Left-handed starter Kyle Freeland, who dislocated his right shoulder Sunday diving for a bunt in a game at San Francisco, suffered only a slight tear to his labrum. He will not need surgery, and although he was placed on the 15-day injured list, he’s expected to pitch again this season. There is no timetable for his return.

That’s the good news.

The bad: right-hander Antonio Senzatela suffered a setback with his injured pitching elbow during a bullpen session in San Francisco last Saturday and he will now undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. The Rockies had hoped Senzatela would be able to return this season, possibly in August.

Senzatela, who had surgery last August to repair the torn ACL in his left knee, made just two starts this season before his elbow flared up. He hoped to avoid surgery and had a platelet-rich plasma injection, but ultimately the elbow did not heal as the team hoped.

“(The elbow issue) presented itself in San Francisco when he threw on the side,” manager Bud Black said. “It didn’t go well.”

Senzatela, 28, signed a five-year, $50.5 million contract after the 2021 season. Now he will essentially miss two full seasons — most of the current one and all of the next.

Initially, Freeland feared that his injury was similar to the one suffered by second baseman Brendan Rodgers during spring training. Rodgers, like Freeland, dislocated his shoulder diving for a ball. Rodgers tore the labrum in his left shoulder and needed surgery. There were fears that Rodgers would miss the entire season but no he’s on track to play the final two months of the season.

“One of my first thoughts was that I tore my labrum completely,” Freeland said before the Rockies hosted the Yankees at Coors Field. “The rotator cuff is involved in there and a lot of stuff goes on in the shoulder and that can be concerning.

“Thankfully, it wasn’t to the extent of ‘B-Rod’s’ injury. Thankfully it’s just a partial tear that over time will strengthen and heal. We can play this day by day and get this to where it needs to be.”

Freeland, 30, is playing under a five-year, $64.5 million contract that will take him through 2026. He’s made 19 starts this season, going 4-10 with a 4.72 ERA. He will continue working out and throwing lightly but will take it easy with his right shoulder.

The Rockies currently have only three healthy starters in their rotation: Lefty Austin Gomber, who pitches Friday night against the Yankees at Coors Field; right-hander Connor Seabold, who’s scheduled to pitch Saturday night; and right-hander Chase Anderson, set for Sunday afternoon.

Colorado has now lost four-fifths of starting rotation to injury. Opening-day starter German Marquez has already undergone Tommy John surgery, and Ryan Feltner was hit in the head by a line drive on May 13, resulting in a fractured skull. Although there is no timetable for Freeland’s return, he will miss several starts.

Colorado, with the worst record in the National League (34-57 entering the weekend), has a 6.47 starters ERA, the worst in the majors, and is on pace to be the worst in franchise history.

“It’s very frustrating,” Freeland said. “We have a talented group of starters and to have four of the five to be on the IL right now, and the position that this team is in, it’s not a good feeling. Especially for me, being one of the leaders of this team, the leader of the staff, it (stinks).”

Black said the club will utilize a “bullpen game” Tuesday against the Astros at Coors Field. The Rockies are fortunate that they have a number of off days coming up, including Monday and Thursday, enabling them to juggle their starting pitchers.

At Triple-A Albuquerque, the Rockies have three potential starters who could get called up — right-handers Peter Lambert, Noah Davis and Chris Flexen. Colorado signed Chris Flexen to a minor-league deal on Thursday. The plan is for Flexen, 29, to initially pitch for Triple-A Albuquerque and then join the Rockies’ rotation. Flexen was designated for assignment by Seattle earlier this month.

Lambert, who was Colorado’s long reliever, is starting at Triple-A as he gets stretched out. The original plan was for him to make about three starts or four starts at Triple-A and build up his pitch count before rejoining the Rockies’ rotation. Black said that the club will not alter those plans, even though the Rockies need immediate help in the rotation. Lambert was scheduled to pitch for the Isotopes Friday night and throw about 60 pitches. In his next start, Lambert’s pitch count could rise to 80 pitches.

Lambert, who underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2020, has struggled to return from his elbow injury, so Colorado plans to limit Lambert to 100-120 innings this season. He’s pitched 45 1/3 innings so far between the majors and Triple-A.

Roster moves. Colorado selected the contract of right-handed reliever Tommy Doyle Friday and also recalled first baseman Michael Toglia from Triple-A. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Doyle, lefty Ryan Rolison landed on the 60-day IL.

Rolison, 26, missed all of last season and underwent a season-ending shoulder last summer. He returned from the IL at the end of May but experienced shoulder pain again and was shut down.