Colorado Rockies’ outfielder Carlos Gonzalez has been suffering from an injury to his left index finger since May 21. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 4 after struggling through the inflammation in his finger for four straight games.
He visited a hand specialist when the team traveled to Cleveland in late May. Dr. Thomas Graham at first assumed that there were “foreign bodies” in Gonzalez’s finger which could be anything, most likely a splinter, surrounded by a soft mass of tissue. Unfortunately, neither an ultrasound nor an MRI were able to find evidence of any such object.
The Rockies decided to delay any surgery, according to MLB.com, because they didn’t want to jeopardize making Gonzalez’s recovery longer than necessary. After attempting to play in those four games, all of which he was forced to leave early, the decision was reluctantly made by both parties, to put Gonzalez on the disabled list.
Gonzalez threw the ball on Sunday but has been unable to grip a bat since he was put on the disabled list last week. The two-time All-Star, who has also been struggling with tendinitis in his left knee since last season, was hitting .255 with eight home runs and 31 RBI in 52 before being sidelined with the injury.
The exploratory surgery, scheduled for Tuesday, will hopefully explain the mystery of the inflammation in his finger but it will likely delay his return past the 15-day mark.