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Some will call Troy Tulowitzki injury prone, others will call him unlucky. I'm not going to get into that quicksand debate; pick whatever side you like. Either way, Colorado's MVP candidate is going to be on the shelf for a while.
Tulowitzki had been playing through rib discomfort for a week or so, but things took a turn for the worse in Thursday's matinee loss to Washington. Tulowitzki dove for an infield grounder in the eighth inning and suffered a broken rib, an injury expected to cost him 4-6 weeks. It's the fifth time in seven years Tulowitzki will miss time with a serious physical ailment.
Tulo's injury presents a buying opportunity in many mixers, with Josh Rutledge expected to rejoin the Rockies and take over at shortstop. Rutledge was demoted to Triple-A back on May 22, a commentary on his defense as much as his disappointing offense. The move stung for fantasy owners, given that Rutledge had ample category juice (five homers, five steals) to go with a mediocre .242 average through six weeks. His bat came alive during 17 games with Colorado Springs: look at that zesty .348/.438/.565 slash line.
Rutledge was a polarizing fantasy commodity back in March. Some were excited about his snappy debut in 2012 (.274-37-8-37-7 over 73 games) while others worried about an extensive September slump and a reluctance to take walks. Rutledge has been more patient in 2013, drawing a combined 21 walks in 226 at-bats between the majors and Colorado Springs. The experience at Triple-A probably doesn't hurt, given he skipped that level entirely the first time around.
The next move is up to you. Rutledge is free to grab in 68 percent of Yahoo! leagues (even after the Thursday buying spike), and he carries a couple of notable fringe benefits (Coors Field for home games; eligibility at both second base and shortstop). It's a good time to jump back in.
The Colorado injury woes don't stop at Tulowitzki; Carlos Gonzalez (foot) and Dexter Fowler (finger) are both listed as day-to-day. Cargo was struck by a foul ball Thursday, waiting in the on-deck circle, while Fowler was hit by a pitch. If either player is hurt for any significant time, Tyler Colvin is the stand-in outfielder. The Rockies finally got Michael Cuddyer (ribs) back this week, while Eric Young Jr. was designated for assignment.
•*Kevin Gausman's first go-round in the majors showed plenty of promise, but more seasoning is a decent idea for the 22-year-old phenom. Gausman posted a 7.66 ERA and 1.62 WHIP over his five turns, bitten regularly by the home-run ball (seven). But with 20 strikeouts against six walks over 24.2 innings, you can see the potential here.
Gausman was a double-promotion back a month ago, but he's being slotted in Triple-A for now. His final start in the majors, incidentally, was one of the better ones: 5.1 solid innings against the Red Sox on Thursday (6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K). He also showed his chops against the Tigers back in early June (6 IP, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K). There's a good chance we'll be talking about Gausman again before the season is over.