David Dahl just can’t win. In a career-high year, with only a single ailment in the season’s entirety, the bad luck that’s plagued him struck again.
On a lineout Friday, Dahl had to lunge back to field a ball and injured his right ankle in the process. The Colorado Rockies’ outfielder was subsequently carted off the field, unable to put any weight on the ailment that was later diagnosed as an ankle sprain. Further tests to determine the severity will take place Saturday.
The injury was merely one of many for Dahl.
In total, he’s been forced to miss over 200 games in his career due to various back, rib and foot injuries. An injured-list stint would be the ninth of his career – including minor leagues – after being drafted in the first round of the 2012 draft.
After working through a core injury early in 2019, Dahl was finally finding his footing in the league. En route to his first All-Star selection, the youngster had hit .302 on the year with 15 home runs in a career-high 374 at-bats. The long ball total is merely one shy of his career-high mark set last season.
In his stead, both Ian Desmond and Raimel Tapia figure to get the bulk of the outfield time moving forward, with a possible promotion from Triple-A Albuquerque garnering the rest of the playing time.
With roughly two months to go in what’s become a lost year for the Rockies, a severe sprain would likely end Dahl’s season.
The season-ending injury would add to a growing list for the club. Brendan Rodgers (shoulder), Seungwhan Oh (elbow) and Tyler Anderson (knee) have all had their seasons cut short as well.
