BSN Exclusive: Josh Fuentes opens up on his bad break and big break

DENVER: Everything Josh Fuentes had been working toward nearly disappeared when he broke the hamate bone in his left hand early in Spring Training before exhibition games had even begun.

“The doctor said six-to-eight and then you start doing all this stuff. For me, I was like, ‘There’s no way that’s happening. I need to be good a soon as possible.’”

After the undrafted third baseman put together back-to-back All-Stars seasons in Double-A and Triple-A, he was finally placed on the Rockies 40-man roster in November.

With his star on the rise and a chance in the majors within reach, his best opportunity with the big club was all but gone.

So Fuentes went about recovering in a major way.

“Me and (Rockies rehab coordinator Scott) Murayama, he and I worked hard,” Fuentes shared. “Guys told me that the pain lingers, but with him, it felt great. We just kept getting better and better and every week it felt way better. If it wasn’t for him trusting me that I was telling him the truth, I’d probably still be in extended (Spring Training).

Murayama seconded the success of Fuentes’ health in the rehabilitation process.

“It was a very good rehab. Everyone rehabs from the same injury differently. He didn’t have any setbacks. It was smooth,” shared athletic trainer in his nineteenth year with the organization.

Though appreciative of the mention, he’s aware that the credit can only go so far.

“I have nothing to do with how his body responds. After surgery, it’s basically a case of one that we like to see. It doesn’t always happen that way. It definitely makes the road to coming back to games a lot easier.”

Both nutrition and massage played a crucial role in how quickly Fuentes’ hand would heal.

“Nutrition is big,” Murayama emphasized. “It’s always a big part of recovery and healing and everything else. We talk about it all the time. We especially start educating them early because playing in Denver is a huge part of it. We do some education before then, but when somebody is hurt or they have surgery, if they are a tobacco user we do everything we can to get them to quick, at least during that process.

“We utilize (massage) a lot, even for the day-to-day guys. Any kind of flush type of modality we use is essential to keep them going. In terms of (Fuentes’) case, once you get hurt and there’s surgery and the body doesn’t know exactly what has happened to it, there’s a lot of muscle guarding and tightness that we address through soft tissue work.”

With his hand healed, Fuentes was back in action with Albuquerque and things were finally going his way.

“It was weird. I wasn’t playing at all, obviously. I had maybe three or four minor league games. I’m in Albuquerque and my first at-bat I hit a home run. I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness. My hand’s feeling great.’ Two days later, I get the call. Hurting my hand in Spring Training, I didn’t think I’d be with a team (right now). I thought I’d be in extended (Spring Training). So, two games into the season and here I am talking with you guys. It’s awesome.”

What came next was quite an adventure that began during the early morning hours after Fuentes hit the game-winning RBI double for the Isotopes.

The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and his phone was ringing.

It was his call to the majors.

Due to Ryan McMahon’s injury, it would be the undrafted infielder who’d get the next opportunity thanks to Colorado’s IL carousel.

Bud Black recalls the moment leading up to the phone call, before they were forced to have him make the world’s longest commute for someone’s first day.

“When we called him and made the decision, Jeff (Bridich) said, ‘We can’t get him. There are no flights.’ No flights?” Black said emphatically at such a situation.

With no other option than to drive, it was 450 miles north up I-25, all by himself with the cruise control set at the prescribed 75 mph.

Less than a day later, it was Yency Almonte that would get called to majors from Albuquerque; however, he would be flown.

After Fuentes’ six-hour drive, he would arrive in the second inning after navigating the game day traffic in LoDo.

Yimi Garcia was back on the mound fresh off a 1-2-3 seventh inning and with minimal time to get a full scouting report, he’d take what he could get while he awaiting his chance.

“Honestly, me and Salazar we were looking at his pitches.”

“I went into the cage and I was definitely pacing back and forth. I was like, ‘Man, I’m about to get an at-bat in the big leagues,’ Fuentes added with a smile emblazoned across his face. “I was on-deck and I was about to lead off. I was looking in the dugout and in the stands and took it in for a second. Right when I got into the box, it was go time. That’s something I’ll never forget.”

On a 1-2 count, Garica threw a slider at the bottom of the zone and Fuentes tagged it for a single in his first major league at-bat.

Manager Bud Black, professional pitcher for 21 seasons, coach and manager for 18-plus more, has been witness to thousands of games and yet, the moment for Fuentes was rather magical for him, too.

“Wasn’t that great? It never gets old. I love that,” Black reflected on the moment.

The crowd at Coors Field also got involved, celebrating the rookie’s achievement.

With Fuentes at first and zero intent on going for his first stolen base, the intrigue of reaching base became apparent when he went to second after Charlie Blackmon walked.

“I could see Seager and Muncy behind me, kind of chirping. I don’t know if they’re trying to put a play on or whatever. I thought to myself, ‘You cannot get picked off right here,’ laughed Fuentes at the situation. “Nolan’s at the plate, I’m on second. No way.”

It’s been a few days since the debut and first hit – the ball from which will be placed in his man cave situated in a garage – and the big leagues seems to be getting smaller and smaller for the 26-year-old, day-by-day.

Fuentes has added a second hit to his resumè along with two starts at first base; he even took part in 3-5-3 double play Monday night that included first cousin Nolan Arenado covering second base due to the shift on Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman.

Though it’s been an eventful few days in the majors for Fuentes, one thing is certain whenever it comes to this ballplayer: it’s never boring.