Dahl aiming for early September return after sitting with injury

When David Dahl heard the “pop,” he feared the worst. Now he’s hoping to rejoin the Rockies in early September.

“I know high ankle sprains can be tricky, but I’m feeling pretty good about it,” he said Monday during a phone interview from Scottsdale, Ariz., where he’s getting treatment at the team’s spring training facility. “I want to make sure I don’t come back too fast. You have to be smart, but I’m hoping I can get back with the team by early September.”

Dahl got out of his walking boot last Tuesday and has begun to put weight on his right ankle.

The all-star outfielder was injured during an Aug. 2 game against San Francisco at Coors Field. In the sixth inning, Dahl broke hard on Scooter Gennett’s line drive to right-center field. The ball got caught in the wind and tailed at the last second. Dahl’s spikes stuck in the grass as he adjusted. He made the catch, but his right ankle bent awkwardly.

“I heard a pop,” he said. “It scared me, because I didn’t know if it was my knee or my ankle or my Achilles. All the emotion got to me. That’s why I reacted that way. It wasn’t so much the pain as it was the emotion of the moment. It was like, ‘(Heck) no, not again.’”

Dahl has battled injuries throughout his career. His climb through the minors was slowed by a severe hamstring injury in 2013, and a lacerated spleen suffered 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 bigleague season, and a broken right foot cost him July and August last summer. Major League Baseball announced its 2020 regular-season schedule Monday, presenting the Rockies with an early National League West test.

The Rockies open with a fourgame series at San Diego, followed by three games at Los Angeles against the perennial powerhouse Dodgers. Colorado’s home opener will be Friday, April 3, at 2:10 p.m. against the Padres at Coors Field. Friday home openers have become a popular LoDo tradition.

Colorado’s schedule includes home games on Mother’s Day (May 10 vs. Cincinnati), Memorial Day (May 25 vs. the Dodgers), Father’s Day (June 21 vs. San Diego), Independence Day (July 4 vs. San Francisco) and Labor Day (Sept. 7 vs. the Cubs). Fireworks games at Coors Field are July 3 and 4 after Colorado takes on the Giants.

The Rockies interleague opponents in 2020 hail from the American League Central. Colorado takes on the Rangers (April 6-7 at home and August 24-25 at Texas), White Sox (April 28-29 at home and May 19-20 at Chicago), Tigers (May 4-6 at Detroit), Royals (June 22-24 at home), Twins (June 26-28 at Minnesota), and Indians (Sept. 4-6 at home).