Does C.J. Cron have a future with Rockies? Maybe, Bud Black says

Will archetypal baseman C.J. Cron instrumentality to the Rockies successful 2022?

That taxable was mislaid successful the shuffle of Friday’s commercialized deadline-palooza that saw shortstop Trevor Story and right-hander Jon Gray instrumentality with the club.

Both Story and Gray are scheduled to go escaped agents aft this season, but truthful is Cron, who was not traded connected Friday either. Interim wide manager Bill Schmidt did not measurement successful connected Cron’s aboriginal Friday, but manager Bud Black has immoderate thoughts connected the matter.

“We are going to research it and speech to C.J. astir his involvement successful coming back,” Black said Saturday. “There is perchance a acceptable there, for sure. I cognize that helium has enjoyed his play here.

“He’s from the West; raised successful Arizona and went to assemblage successful Utah, truthful I deliberation there’s a comfortableness present and helium enjoys being a Rockie. So we’ll see. I deliberation it’s a definite possibility. We’ll spot however the adjacent 2 months play out.”

Cron got an invitation to outpouring grooming connected a insignificant league declaration and past made the squad by having an fantabulous camp. He entered Saturday night’s crippled astatine San Diego slashing .244/.356/.456 with 14 location runs and 43 RBIs.

“I deliberation he’s done well,” Black said. “(There person been) peaks and valleys, but wide the numbers are beauteous solid. The OPS is implicit .800 and determination has been powerfulness there.

“I don’t deliberation we person seen the champion of C.J., truthful we volition spot what happens these adjacent mates of months. I think, overall, he’s produced. Defensively, connected a scouting scale, he’s been solid-average. There were a mates of hiccups aboriginal successful the twelvemonth but I deliberation he’s cleaned a batch of those things up. Overall, he’s been 1 of our amended players.”

Tapia’s toe. Left fielder and leadoff hitter Raimel Tapia was retired of the lineup and incapable to play Saturday aft spraining his large toed erstwhile helium landed incorrect connected the backmost of the first-base container Friday night.

“It was a small sore arsenic the crippled unfolded but helium was capable to marque it done the game,” Black said. “Overnight, this greeting and this afternoon, it got progressively worse. He’s successful a batch of discomfort. He tin locomotion but helium wouldn’t beryllium capable to play successful the field.”

Black said that helium doesn’t judge Tapia volition person to spell connected the 10-day injured list.

Taking Tapia’s spot astatine the apical of the bid was close fielder Charlie Blackmon, who deed leadoff for the archetypal clip since 2019. In 2017, Blackmon won the National League batting rubric hitting astir exclusively from the leadoff spot. He deed .331 and acceptable a large league grounds by driving successful 103 runs from the apical of the order.

On Deck

Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (8-5, 3.69 ERA) astatine Padres RHP Chris Paddack (7-6, 5.13)
2:10 p.m. Sunday, Petco Park
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM

Gomber has been sensational implicit his past 10 starts, going 6-1 with a 2.08 ERA, 52 strikeouts and conscionable six walks. He’s been fantabulous against San Diego: 1-0 with a 0.47 ERA, 17 strikeouts and 2 walks successful 3 starts this season. His 1 vocation commencement astatine Petco Park came May 18 erstwhile helium gave up 1 tally implicit six innings. Paddack is coming disconnected a coagulated effort against the A’s connected Tuesday. In the Padres’ 7-4 victory, helium allowed 3 runs connected 9 hits, with six strikeouts and a locomotion implicit six innings. He had 1 atrocious inning, allowing 3 runs successful Oakland’s five-hit third. He’s faced Colorado erstwhile this season, pitching 2 innings of relief. He was charged with 1 tally connected 4 hits with 4 strikeouts. In 3 vocation games against the Rockies (two starts), he’s 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA.

Trending: The Rockies had deed 14 location runs successful the archetypal 8 games of the existent 10-game roadworthy travel (entering Saturday). That aft hitting conscionable 25 homers successful their archetypal 45 roadworthy games.

At issue: Two-time all-star shortstop Trevor Story, the taxable of commercialized rumors anterior to Friday’s deadline, entered Saturday’s crippled batting .183 (15-for-80) with 4 location runs successful 20 games successful July.

Pitching probables
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Cubs RHP Zach Davies (6-7, 4.39) astatine Rockies TBD, 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
Wednesday: Cubs RHP Alec Mills (4-4, 4.55) astatine Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (1-6, 4.52), 6:40 p.m., ATTRM
Thursday: Cubs RHP Jake Arrieta (5-10, 6.20) astatine Rockies RHP Jon Gray (7-6, 3.62), 1:10 p.m., ATTRM