Gomber out for season with back injury

Austin Gomber’s season is over. The Rockies’ left-hander, the key piece of the Nolan Arenado trade with the Cardinals, will be placed on the 60-day injured list with pars defect, the club announced Saturday.

Pars defect (or spondylolysis) is a stress fracture of the bones of the lower spine. The fracture typically occurs due to overuse.

“The way it was explained to me, it was kind of an older fracture and this was a reaction to that,” Gomber said prior to the Rockies hosting Atlanta at Coors Field. “I have probably been feeling it for three or three-and-a-half weeks. And it has progressively gotten worse.”

Gomber underwent an MRI on Friday and that revealed the condition.

The Rockies also announced Saturday that they selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Ryan Feltner from Double-a Hartford. He will start in place of Gomber on Sunday.

Also, left fielder and first baseman Connor Joe was placed on the 10-day IL with a strained right hamstring. He injured his leg in the third inning of Friday night’s game against the Braves. Joe drew a one-out walk and advanced from first base to third on Brendan Rodger’s single. However, as Joe neared third base he pulled up in obvious pain and was removed from the game.

Josh Fuentes was called up from Triple-a Albuquerque to replaced Joe on the big-league roster. Also, right-handed reliever Jordan Sheffield came off the 60day IL. He’s been dealing with a right lat strain.

The loss of Gomber is bad news for Colorado, but manager Bud Black said that Gomber’s expected to make a full recovery.

“But it will keep him out the rest of the season,” Black said. “He just felt a little restricted at times. He just really couldn’t finish his pitches … he was just inhibited a little bit.”

Gomber finished his first season with the Rockies 9-9 with a 4.53 ERA and a 1.240 WHIP over 23 starts (115 1/3 innings). The lefty started the season slowly, then pitched very well from midmay through mid-june, before showing inconsistent results. He also missed a month due to left forearm tightness before returning to the mound July 21.

In August, Gomber was 1-4 with a 7.56 ERA in six starts, with a 1.920 WHIP.

“Obviously I wish I could have been able to finish off these last few weeks, but I think there were positives and negatives for me, and there is stuff to build on,” Gomber said. “I was able to prove to myself that I could be a starter in the major leagues and that was definitely a positive.”

Gomber averaged 3.2 walks and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings this season. From the fourth inning on May 29 to the second inning on July 21, he pitched 23 innings without issuing a walk, which was the longest such streak in Rockies history by a starter.

But in a loss last Tuesday at Texas, Gomber walked six in just 4L innings. Black said Saturday that Gomber’s back issue contributed to his poor start.

Gomber said the Rockies contemplated trying to get him back on the mound this season, but with only 27 games remaining, the club thought the prudent course of action was to shut him down.

“The way it’s been explained to me, I should be able to get this taken care of while we are still playing, and then I should be able to go home and have a normal offseason,” he said.

Feltner, who turned 25 on Thursday, has split his season between High-a Spokane and Double-a. In 20 starts, he is 8-3 with a 2.62 ERA and a 27.53% strikeout rate.

Feltner was Colorado’s fourthround pick in the 2018 draft, and the Ohio State product will make his big-league start without any Triple-a experience. He will wear No. 18.

“This was out of the blue, but I feel prepared,” said Feltner, who had been scheduled to start Saturday for the Yard Goats. “I’ve had talks with my pitching coaches about this and we are confident that this is the right move. … The traditional route is to touch Triple-a first, but I didn’t have any expectations. I’m just glad it happened the way it did.”

Feltner throws a fastball that can hit 97 mph, has a solid changeup and is working to develop his slider.

“He’s had a good season,” Black said. “I saw him in the instructional league last fall and I liked what I saw. The last month, he seems to be gaining a lot of momentum in every aspect of pitching.” Rotation update. Colorado’s starters are dealing with various ailments, so the rotation is in motion right now. Lefty Kyle Freeland (hip impingement) threw a bullpen session Saturday and is on track to start Monday to open a three-game series vs. the Giants.

Right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez will start on Tuesday, while Jon Gray will pitch on Wednesday if his tight forearm continues to improve.