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Starting pitching was already enough of an issue for the Colorado Rockies, and now the team will be down one of its most reliable rotation members in recent years. German Marquez felt some pain in his forearm in the sixth inning of his start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, and after an MRI the team determined that he’d need a stint on the injured list.
Marquez struggled to a 4.95 ERA in 31 starts last season, but he still carries a 111 ERA+ for his career — remarkable considering that he’s called Coors Field home for that entire time. His home/road splits have always hinted at greater upside: Marquez holds a 3.78 ERA on the road for his career, compared to a 5.07 ERA in the thin air of Denver. He’s been a stalwart amid a constantly in-flux Rockies rotation, and the team will struggle to replace his production. So how long might he be out?
German Marquez injury update
May 4 update: Marquez received bad news on the diagnosis of his recent elbow injury. He will need Tommy John surgery which is done for the 2023 season.
Bad news. #Rockies German Marquez says he”ll undergo Tommy John surgery.
— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) May 2, 2023
Marquez spoke to reporters after his start on Tuesday and didn’t sound overly concerned:
#Rockies Germán Márquez said the MRI showed just inflammation on his forearm. He’s going on the IL to give it time to rest, Nolan Jones is at Coors
— Danielle Allentuck (@d_allentuck) April 12, 2023
There’s apparently nothing structural wrong with Marquez’s arm; it’s just some forearm soreness, which he’ll get to rest for at least a couple of starts. It doesn’t sound as though the team expects him to be out for much longer than that, though obviously it never pays to take health for granted with pitchers.