Rockies turn to familiar face amid injury woes

DENVER — Facing a massive amount of injuries in the middle of the infield, the Colorado Rockies reunited with a familiar face late Saturday to help weather the storm.

With Gold Glove-winning shortstop Ezequiel Tovar on the injured list with a left hip contusion and still a few days away from returning, Colorado made a trade with the Texas Rangers to acquire infielder Alan Trejo in exchange for cash considerations. The 28-year-old Trejo was originally picked by the Rockies in the 16th round of the 2017 MLB draft, but the franchise parted ways with him last June after he played in 173 games over the past four seasons and compiled a slash line of .228/.276/.334 in 469 plate appearances.

Trejo was slotted into Sunday's starting lineup at shortstop, reflecting the desperate need the Rockies currently have at the position. While Tovar is still out, Colorado is also missing a pair of other players who could fill in at the spot in the injured Aaron Schunk (left groin strain) and Tyler Freeman (left oblique strain). He could also see some time at second base while Thairo Estrada continues to recover from a right wrist fracture.

"We needed a middle infielder," Rockies manager Bud Black said of the reunion with Trejo. "It's hard to get somebody on the fly quickly, but we know Alan. We knew where he was. (General manager Bill Schmidt) called the Rangers and got it done. We needed somebody as quickly as today to play shortstop and we feel Alan can play a major league shortstop, second base and third base. He's a good defender."

Trejo said the return to the Rockies came as a surprise.

"I was just playing in Triple-A and trying to put up some numbers and win some ball games down there," Trejo said on Sunday. "I got a phone call yesterday morning and I had no idea what it was about. They advised me I was traded to the Rockies and I was shocked."

Trejo, who was hitting .211 in 71 at-bats with Triple-A Round Rock before the trade, said the familiarity of stepping into the home clubhouse at Coors Field was a welcome feeling.

"You leave a place and you think you'll never see those guys again," Trejo smiled. "Then the next thing you know, you're getting a phone call that says you're coming back. It means a lot."

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.