Dahl carted off with ankle sprain
Rockies all-star outfielder David Dahl sprained his right ankle in the sixth inning Friday night in a game against San Francisco at Coors Field. He was clearly in a great amount of pain and was taken off the field on a cart.
After the game, Dahl, who was not available to speak with the media, was being fitted with a brace for his injured ankle by head trainer Keith Dugger.
“It looks like there is an ankle sprain and there will be more diagnostic tests tomorrow,” manager Bud Black said. “We’ll see how this sets up tomorrow. He, obviously, turned the ankle and we will see tomorrow, but it looks like (he could be going) on the (10-day) injured list.”
Dahl was tracking down Scooter Gennett’s line drive to center field when he caught his right foot on the grass as he made an adjustment on the catch. Dahl made the catch but it was quickly apparent that he was injured.
Several teammates, along with Black and Dugger, sprinted out to center field to tend to Dahl and comfort him. Dugger rode on the cart as Dahl was taken off the field.
“Anybody close to you — a close friend or whatever — you are obviously concerned when you see somebody in pain like that,” said third baseman Nolan Arenado, who comforted Dahl after the injury. “Everybody was really concerned and worried. He’s having a great year and you don’t want to see someone go through something crazy like that.”
Second baseman Ryan McMahon, one of Dahl’s closest friends, was shaken up by the injury.
“Just knowing how frustrated he’s been with all of the stupid injuries he’s had makes me hopes it’s nothing too serious,” McMahon said. “I just walked up to him and gave him a big hug. I’m probably going to drive him home after this.”
Dahl has battled injuries throughout his career. His climb up the minor-league ladder was slowed by a severe hamstring injury in 2013 and a lacerated spleen sustained in an on-field collision in 2015 cost him significant time at Double-A Hartford. A rib-andback stress reaction injury wiped out his entire 2017 big-league season and a broken right foot cost him July and August last summer.
Dahl, 25, a first-time all-star, is batting .301 with 156 home runs and 61 RBIs.