Colorado Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland will miss at least one month due to a shoulder strain, manager Bud Black told reporters on Thursday.
The 27-year-old Freeland sustained the injury to his pitching shoulder during Tuesday’s game against the Oakland Athletics.
An MRI exam detected the strain, but no serious damage was discovered.
“We were worried about the significance of it,” Black said. “But the findings showed that, based on the degree of the strain, it looks pretty promising for Kyle here moving forward.”
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Black admitted he was concerned after Freeland grabbed his shoulder after throwing a pitch in the third inning of Tuesday’s game.
“When you see a pitcher buckle over and grab his arm, man, that hits you right in the stomach,” said Black, a former big-league hurler. “You feel sick. That’s how I felt, and that’s how all of us felt. Any time you see that type of reaction … you think worst-case scenario and hope for the best as the days go on. At this point, the doctors are encouraged about where the injury occurred.”
Freeland, who won 17 games in 2018 and finished fourth in the National League Cy Young balloting, was slated to be the No. 2 starter behind right-hander German Marquez.
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Freeland went 2-3 with a 4.33 ERA in 13 starts last season. He is 33-32 with a 4.17 ERA in 101 career appearances (96 starts) over four seasons with Colorado.
–Field Level Media