Rockies place All-Star Hunter Goodman on IL

The Colorado Rockies have played better ball this year than last, and especially recently, even with their All-Star struggling. But two big questions remain for the boys of summer: Can they get out of last place, and can Hunter Goodman make history?

Goodman’s odds of making that home run history took a big hit Tuesday when the two-time All-Star catcher was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder strain, retroactive to Saturday.

The Rockies recalled catcher Braxton Fulford from Triple-A Albuquerque in a corresponding move and have been starting Brett Sullivan behind the plate the last several days.

Goodman’s power has been sapped recently, with just three homers and four total extra-base hits over his last 17 games dating back to July 22.

The 26-year-old first felt the shoulder issue on a swing during Colorado’s series in Arizona last week, manager Warren Schaeffer said. Goodman gutted through the three-game set against the Diamondbacks — going 1-for-9 with a triple — before the injury caught up with him. He missed the entire weekend series in San Francisco and was scratched from Monday night’s lineup against the Dodgers roughly two hours before first pitch, the third time in four games he was pulled from a posted lineup.

Still, Goodman enters the IL stint as one of baseball’s most productive hitters. In 111 games this season he is slashing .251/.320/.541 with 34 home runs, 69 RBIs and 69 runs scored — fifth in the majors in homers and first on the Rockies in OPS (.861). He already owns the franchise’s single-season home run record for a primary catcher, eclipsing his own mark with his 32nd and 33rd blasts in an Aug. 1 win over the Royals.

The bigger question is whether Goodman can chase Cal Raleigh’s single-season record of 60 home runs by a catcher, set with the Mariners in 2025. Needing 27 more with roughly six weeks to play — and now sidelined at minimum through Aug. 25 — the math has turned sharply against him. That mark seemed somewhat out of reach the entire time but Johnny Bench’s NL record of 45 seemed to be in play and now, needing 11 more there, that seems far-fetched, too.

The Rockies have Goodman under club control through 2029, and Colorado held onto him at the trade deadline when no team met president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta’s asking price.

The Rockies (50-75) remain last in the NL West, one and half games behind the Giants, as they continue their series against the Dodgers on Tuesday night at Coors Field.

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