Márquez out for rest of year with elbow issue

DENVER -- Rockies right-hander Germán Márquez, who made his season debut on July 14 against the Mets after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, has been shut down from baseball activities due to a stress reaction in his right elbow.

Márquez was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 22, with what was classified as right elbow inflammation. But the elbow has not responded. With the veteran likely needing six to eight weeks to recover from the stress reaction, manager Bud Black said, there wouldn’t be enough time to build him back up to be ready to pitch again in 2024.

“He’s got a stress reaction in the back of his elbow, in the olecranon,” Black said before the Rockies' 9-1 loss to the Mets on Thursday afternoon in the series finale at Coors Field. “The ligament is fine. The reconstruction -- it’s great. It’s just a little stress reaction in the back of the elbow that’s going to require some time.”

Márquez, who has been Colorado’s best starting pitcher since his first full Major League season in 2017, gave up three runs on five hits while walking four and striking out three over four innings at Citi Field on July 14. The 2021 All-Star owns a career 4.42 ERA (111 ERA+) over nine seasons.

Márquez’s best stretch came from 2018-20, when he posted a 4.14 ERA (120 ERA+), a 1.21 WHIP and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.1. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, he led the National League with 81 2/3 innings pitched and turned in a 3.75 ERA over 13 starts.

“He’s bummed, man,” Black said. “He wants to pitch. And he was tracking so well during the whole process, right on schedule. He had a little bit of a setback during the rehab process, but he came back and pitched in New York. But coming back from a surgery, it’s not all seamless. … We’re confident the bone is going to heal, and he’s going to have a regular offseason and be ready to go in Spring Training.”

Márquez said he didn’t feel the stress reaction until well after his start on July 14.

“I didn’t feel it, and I rested for four days over the All-Star break,” Márquez said. “Then I came here and threw a bullpen, and I felt it a little bit. And then the other day, it was super sore. So it needs time. I need to rest, and, hopefully, it’s going to be good.”

The Rockies were without Márquez and fellow right-hander Antonio Senzatela (who also had Tommy John surgery last year) to open this season. Colorado then lost stalwart left-hander Kyle Freeland for more than two months due to an elbow injury.

The club has relied heavily on Cal Quantrill, Austin Gomber and Ryan Feltner. But Feltner left his start on Wednesday against the Mets after one inning due to right shoulder and lat soreness. He landed on the injured list on Thursday.