Rockies’ Jordan Beck lands on injured list amid frustrating start to season

DENVER — Jordan Beck’s slow start to the season might have had him at the precipice of being optioned to Albuquerque at some point in the near future, especially given the form of some of the outfielders in the first several weeks of the campaign there.

But Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta preached patience when he answered questions about the state of the team earlier this month. And with more opportunities against left-handed pitchers in recent weeks, he’d posted a .250/.286/.500 line in May, although he has just 21 plate appearances this month, leaving his season-long batting average below the Mendoza Line, at .183.

However, the bursts of power that arose last season when he clubbed 16 home runs for the Rockies haven’t materialized so far this season, and now, any revival for Beck will have to wait, as he landed on the 10-day injured list Monday with a hamstring issue.

Beck had not been in the lineup since May 14 at Pittsburgh, sitting out the weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Overall, he’d been in the leadoff spot seven times this season.

“I see a guy who is taking good, solid at-bats against left-handed pitching, and a guy who is struggling against right-handed pitching in general,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer told media in the dugout prior to Monday night’s game against Texas.

Against lefties, Beck is hitting .316 this season. Against righties, he’s batting just .068. And with other left-handed outfield options such as Mickey Moniak and Troy Johnston not subject to the same extreme splits, they’ve received more opportunities.

“Listen, honestly, it’s kind of a Catch 22 because he’s not getting a ton of at-bats against right-handed pitching, to be fair,” Schaeffer told media in the Rockies dugout. “Because of how our roster is constructed this year, we have a lot of left-handed batters — against right-handed pitching — that have really performed well over the course of the season.

“… So, Jordan just hasn’t got the opportunities, probably, that he’s wanted so far,” Schaeffer continued. “He’s still a really good baseball player. Still, in my opinion, not a platoon player over the long haul of the future. It’s just where it’s at right now.”

Edouard Julien has settled in as the Rockies’ most-frequently used leadoff hitter, with 27 games in that spot. With Beck injured in recent days, switch-hitter Willi Castro moved into the leadoff spot twice in the last three games, including Monday night against Texas, when he doubled twice.

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