SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Colorado Rockies have found themselves in a bit of a bind with Austim Gomber, their left-handed pitcher, expressing concerns over his arm. Scheduled to start against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, Gomber stepped down due to a feeling of low arm speed and discomfort in his throwing shoulder.
Rockies manager, Bud Black, remains optimistic about Gomber’s condition, emphasizing a cautious approach. “There’s no timetable on his return, but we’re going to make sure that he’s healthy and not try to rush it,” Black stated, indicating the long season ahead. “He understands that it’s March 2, and this season is going to go all the way to October. So, let’s not push it too early.”
Initially slated to pitch for three innings, this game would have marked Gomber’s second spring training appearance. In his previous performance against the White Sox, his fastball topped at 89.2 mph, slightly lower than last year’s average speed of 90.4 mph. Despite this, the 31-year-old pitcher wasn’t too troubled about the numbers. However, he sensed that things were not right.
“The longer you play, the more you become in tune with your body,” Gomber mentioned. He noted that the timing in the calendar year influenced his decision to rest now rather than pushing through and potentially aggravating the situation over the months. “Maybe I would have tried to push it a little bit more if we were in a different spot on the calendar. But it being so early in the year, I just felt like I wanted to take a few days to try to get a touch better and not have something that’s like nagging throughout the year. So now was a good time to kind of get a good reset.”
Last season, Gomber delivered a 5-12 record, with a 4.75 ERA over the course of 30 starts, marking a personal career high.
In other news, the Rockies announced that Jeff Criswell, another pitcher, will undergo Tommy John surgery. The operation, to be performed by Dr. Keith Meister, is scheduled for March 14. Criswell, who was competing for a bullpen slot this spring, enjoyed a promising rookie season, finishing with a 1-0 record and a 2.75 ERA across 13 appearances.
