Rockies get one key piece back from DL, lose another to it

DENVER – The Colorado Rockies activated second baseman DJ LeMahieu from the disabled list on Friday, putting David Dahl on the 10-disabled list with a broken right foot.

LeMahieu spent 18 days on the disabled list with a sprained thumb he endured in his third at-bat against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 13, with the official transaction happening the next day. It was the 29-year-old’s second stint on the disabled list of the season, coming off his first one just a week before his new injury. He had never been on the disabled list before this season.

He returns to a Rockies lineup that has gotten hot recently, but will appreciate his production from second base nonetheless. LeMahieu is hitting a comparatively low .279 on the season, but his OBP is at .350 and his slugging percentage of .457 would be a career high for a season, thanks to an early power surge that saw him hit five home runs in the early going and embedding himself more so than usual in the team’s offensive picture in his first 32 games.

While he was on the DL, the Rockies hit a lowly .237 with a wRC+ that measured them 56 percent less effective than league average in those 18 games. They relied on Daniel Castro and Pat Valaika, before optioning the latter to recall Ryan McMahon to attempt to stop the bleeding on May 26. He filled the role admirably, putting together a five game hitting streak since his recall that is still active.

But where the injury gods giveth, they also taketh away.

As the Rockies regain one important offensive cog, they lose one that was starting to put it together this season in Dahl, who lands on the disabled list after more unluckiness with his health. Dahl sustained a broken foot.

He too has played in 32 MLB games this year, and seemed to be figuring it out recently. Starting on May 23, he put together a six game hitting streak of his own, including a two hit performance on May 25. Overall, he is hitting .275 on the year.

Dahl expects to be out 6-8 weeks.

The immediate lineup implications will be known shortly when the Rockies announce theirs for Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. First pitch is at 6:40.