KANSAS CITY ¨C Center fielder and leadoff hitter Brenton Doyle came off the bereavement list and rejoined a mightily struggling Rockies club on Wednesday.
¡°I¡¯m glad to be back ¨C the body and mind have been itching to get back on the field and get back here with the guys,¡± said Doyle, who had just one at-bat in six games because of a left quad issue, then left to be with his family in a difficult period. ¡°It¡¯s been a good distraction already to get my mind off things and just get ready to roll again.¡±
The Rockies have lost 11 straight on the road, amid some horrid offensive numbers. They also dropped two of three at home against the Nationals before losing to the Royals 4-3 in 11 innings on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium, so the offense is languishing.
Wednesday night's game against the Royals was postponed by rain. The clubs will play a traditional doubleheader on Thursday.
Missing Doyle hasn¡¯t helped. The last game Doyle started, he went 4-for-5 with five RBIs in a 7-2 home victory over the Brewers on April 10. The Rockies kept him active during the 0-6 road trip to San Diego and Los Angeles, hoping he would feel good enough to give them something. All he could manage was a pinch-hit strikeout on April 16, in the finale at Dodger Stadium.
In the interim, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, another of the few proven threats on the club, attempted to play through a left hip injury before going to the 10-day injured list on Saturday.
So the team needs Doyle. In his 13 games, Doyle leads the team with an .888 OPS, and he has hit three homers to tie Hunter Goodman and Mickey Moniak for the club lead.
Doyle needs baseball at least as much.
¡°Your body gets so used to playing every day, practicing every day,¡± Doyle said. ¡°When you¡¯re out of it for even two days off, it feels weird. I haven¡¯t gone out in I don¡¯t know how many days, so I¡¯m pretty amped.
¡°I¡¯m taking more swings in the cage and more reps in the outfield ¨C which I did today. I got to the park pretty early and got a lot of swings off the machine, got some velo coming at me. Everything feels good.¡±
The Rockies believe the worst start to a season in their history will eventually teach lessons that lead to winning baseball. But the start is worse than they expected, in part because they haven¡¯t been putting their expected club on the field.
It goes deeper than Doyle, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, and Tovar, who won his first Gold Glove Award last year. Veteran second baseman Thairo Estrada has not played this season because of a right wrist fracture. Before going to the injured list on April 14, designated hitter Kris Bryant dealt with a back problem that made him sporadically available and ineffective when he played.
The result is a lineup with multiple call-ups. The bottom third of Colorado¡¯s order on Wednesday ¨C left fielder Jordan Beck, second baseman Adael Amador and shortstop Aaron Schunk ¨C all have spent time at Triple-A Albuquerque but have been forced into Major League action. The Rockies also had been using rookie outfielder Zac Veen, but they optioned him back to Albuquerque to make room for Doyle and, they hope, play enough to be readier in all aspects of the game.
Even more, first baseman Michael Toglia, another of the lesser service-time players, and veteran Ryan McMahon entered Wednesday tied with the Reds¡¯ Ely De La Cruz for the Majors' lead in strikeouts with 35. But De La Cruz had played in three more games than Toglia and two more than McMahon.
So it¡¯s a roster in need of production and guidance. Doyle ¨C just 26, with last year being his first full season ¨C wants to provide it.
¡°It¡¯s strange to consider myself almost that veteran player, being 26,¡± Doyle said. ¡°But it¡¯s also good for my development and my mindset. It¡¯s been a joy relaying some of this stuff to some of the younger players and watching them improve. It¡¯s a good feeling.¡±
Manager Bud Black will take anything Doyle offers, on the field and off.
¡°It¡¯s personal ¨C it takes genuineness from a player or any leader,¡± Black said. ¡°If there¡¯s no authenticity, it¡¯s really hard to lead. With Brenton, I told him, ¡®Just be yourself.¡¯ If you feel strongly about something, you have my blessing and trust to say the right things, because he cares. He cares about this organization, he cares about this team and where it¡¯s going.¡±