Desmond headed for surgery, out indefinitely

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies first baseman Ian Desmond will undergo surgery Wednesday to repair the second metacarpal in his left hand, the club announced Monday.
The Rockies did not announce a timetable for Desmond's return. Because of the torque involved in swinging and the vibration after contact is made, the bone will have to heal before Desmond becomes a candidate to return. Teammate Mark Reynolds, who suffered a similar injury to the fifth metacarpal last year, was hurt on Sept. 18 and not cleared to swing a bat until mid-December.

Desmond, 31, was hit on the hand by a pitch from Reds rotation hopeful Rookie Davis.
The Rockies signed Desmond, a shortstop with the from Nationals 2009-15 and a center fielder with the Rangers last year, to fill a hole at first base and provide versatility offensively and defensively.
In Desmond's absence, Reynolds, who returned to the team under a Minor League contract, is the likely first baseman.

To replace Desmond in the interim, the Rockies will need a multi-position player with first base in his skill set, and they have a few candidates:
• Switch-hitting Cristhian Adames, last year's utility man and a middle infielder by trade, began practicing at first base late last season. He is out of Minor League options.

• Left-handed-hitting Jordan Patterson, displaying power this spring, has all of his Minor League options. He has played mostly outfield professionally, but he played first in college at the University of Alabama and played more at first base at Triple-A last year.
• Non-roster invitee Stephen Cardullo's grand slam against the Reds on Sunday made him the second player in Rockies history to have two grand slams in Spring Training (Tim Olson, 2005). He hit a double against the Royals on Monday.
All three were taking ground balls and making throws from first base Monday morning at the Rockies' complex.