Colorado Rockies Place Germán Márquez on Injured List With Concerning Elbow Issue

Germán Márquez made his return from Tommy John surgery one week ago, but the veteran Colorado Rockies starting pitcher has already gone back to the injured list with elbow inflammation.

Jul 14, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher German Marquez (48) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Rockies have placed right-handed pitcher Germán Márquez on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to July 19, the team announced Monday afternoon.

Márquez is currently dealing with right elbow inflammation. He last took the mound July 14 against the New York Mets, allowing five hits, four walks and three earned runs across 4.0 innings of work.

That was Márquez's first MLB outing in nearly 15 months, as he underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2023. He made seven minor league rehab starts between May 10 and July 9 before finally rejoining Colorado's rotation.

Márquez was scheduled to start against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday. Right-handed pitcher Noah Davis was recalled from Triple-A Albuqueque to take Márquez's spot on the active roster, and he is now among the candidates to snag his spot in the starting rotation as well.

The Colorado Rockies announced the following moves today:

- Recalled RHP Noah Davis from Triple-A Albuquerque.
- Placed RHP Germán Márquez on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to July 19) with right elbow inflammation.

— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) July 22, 2024

Márquez has spent his entire MLB career with the Rockies, making his debut in 2016 and finishing fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2017. Márquez went on to win a Silver Slugger in 2018, then make the All-Star Game in 2021.

For his career, Márquez is 65-56 with a 4.42 ERA, 1.287 WHIP, 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings, a 3.22 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 17.5 WAR. He ranks first in strikeout-to-walk ratio, second in WHIP, second in strikeouts per nine innings, third in wins, fourth in WAR and fifth in ERA in Rockies history.

Márquez passed Jorge De La Rosa for most strikeouts in franchise history when he faced the Mets last week. He is just 14 strikeouts away from becoming the first Colorado pitcher ever to reach 1,000 for his career.

Between 2017 and 2022, only Gerrit Cole, Patrick Corbin and Aaron Nola made more MLB starts than Márquez. He has made just five starts in the two seasons since.

Márquez inked a two-year, $20 million contract extension with the Rockies last fall, just before he was set to hit free agency. His salary is locked in at $10 million for 2024, but he has $10 million available in incentives in 2025.

Whether or not Márquez can cash in on those incentives could be determined by the severity of his current elbow injury. The term "elbow inflammation" can sometimes be a precursor to an eventual torn UCL diagnosis and Tommy John surgery, or it can just be a matter of needing a week or two of rest.

It is obviously too early to rule the 29-year-old Márquez out for the season, but the evaluations he receives in the coming days will be critical to say the least.

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