Rockies recall Joe, send Adams to IL with right elbow strain
Another injury has cleared Connor Joe’s return to the Colorado roster.
The 28-year-old fan favorite reremerged in the majors earlier this season following his 2020 battle with testicular cancer. He made his Rockies debut May 7 after being called up due to an injury to C.J. Cron, and now Wednesday, another injured first baseman has Joe back to the bigs.
Colorado placed veteran Matt Adams on the 10-day injured list with a right elbow strain after he was hurt in Tuesday night’s series-opening loss to the Marlins at LoanDepot Park.
“With Joe, we’re hoping for the really solid at-bat with the ability to get on-base, and get a hit off the bench as he pinch-hits,” manager Bud Black said.
“In a National League game, if we use him for a double switch, we want him to make a contribution.”
Joe, a former first-round draft pick by the Pirates in 2014, slashed .233/.365/.279 in 19 games in his first stint with the club. The first baseman/outfielder’s .365 on-base percentage ranks second on Colorado behind Charlie Blackmon. Joe got 25 at-bats in six games with Triple-A Albuquerque in-between his recalls, hitting .240 with one homer.
“(The Triple-A stint) really helped me get into a groove and get some details refined in my swing,” Joe said.
Joe added he’s “ready to make the most of this opportunity, however long it is” as a bench player.
“It’s a lot of the same thoughts (as in May) — I’m here to contribute to the team in whatever capacity they ask of me,” Joe said. “I’m available and I’ll be prepared for when I do get called on.”
Meanwhile, Black said Adams was “sore around the elbow joint” on Thursday, with his exact diagnosis to be determined.
“He’ll get some imaging either in Cincinnati or when we get back home to Denver,” Black said. “There was some trauma to the elbow.” trevor story almost back. The shortstop’s right elbow strain, suffered in the latter half of a road doubleheader against the Mets on May 27, has kept him out 11 straight games. But Story’s MRI came back clean and after throwing from his position during pregame workouts Tuesday and then swinging the bat on Wednesday, his return is imminent.
“There’s the potential of him being activated (Thursday),” Black said. “He hit early (on Wednesday), he’ll go through some fielding drills during our regular batting practice and he’s going to throw from all different angles.
“If he comes through that confident and feels good, we’ll discuss the possibility of being activated Thursday.”
The 28-year-old is hitting .255 with five homers and 23 RBIs in 2021, which could be his last with the Rockies, whether Story is traded by the deadline or walks as a free-agent in the offseason. When Story does return, rookie infielder Alan Trejo is likely to be sent down to the Isotopes.
Interim general manager Bill Schmidt told reporters last Saturday that it was entirely possible Story’s time with the Rockies extends past this season. “We’ll see what happens,” he said.