Cuddyer Hoping To Avoid DL After Hurting Ribs

DENVER -- Michael Cuddyer hopes an awkward tumble at first base doesn't mean another trip to the disabled list.

The Colorado Rockies' outfielder gingerly walked through the clubhouse Saturday with his sore ribs tightly wrapped. He's yet to swing a bat since his fall while trying to beat out a slow roller during an extra inning loss to San Diego on Thursday.

The Rockies are giving him a few days to rest and recover before deciding what to do with one of their top hitters.

To buy some time, the team recalled outfielder Tyler Colvin from Triple-A Colorado Springs. That way, the Rockies aren't caught short-handed, especially with left fielder Carlos Gonzalez dealing with a nagging left knee.

Cuddyer was on the DL earlier this season with an inflamed cervical disk. Since his return on May 24, Cuddyer has been swinging a hot bat, raising his average to .339. He also has 10 homers and 37 RBIs.

"Hopefully, this will continue to get better in days rather than weeks," Cuddyer said.

On the play where he was hurt, Cuddyer said he was hustling down the line when his hip smashed into the back of Padres first baseman Kyle Blanks, sending Cuddyer sprawling to the ground to end the game.

"Once I got up, I felt it," Cuddyer said.

The next day, the pain was persistent. So much so that manager Walt Weiss didn't dare put Cuddyer in the outfield, even when the Rockies found themselves in a late-inning bind on Friday. Gonzalez tweaked his balky knee and came out of the game in the seventh, leading Weiss to use infielder Jonathan Herrera in left.

In order to avoid that predicament, Colorado brought up Colvin, who hit .290 with 18 homers last season for the Rockies and looked like a sure bet to make the roster out of spring training, only to spend the first two months in the minors.

That aggravated Colvin, who hit .293 while with the Sky Sox.

"I'm not going to lie, I was upset," said Colvin, who was greeted with hugs and high-fives upon entering the clubhouse Saturday. "You've got to swallow your pride and go down there and just play baseball.

"I know I'm a major league player. I knew I was going to get back."

Precisely when Cuddyer will be back remains to be seen. Asked if he thought he could stay on the roster through the injury, Cuddyer responded, "That's obviously the hope. We'll just see if it gets better."

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