LAS VEGAS -- The Rockies’ starting rotation took a big hit on Friday as the team placed Chase Dollander on the 60-day IL.
The righty hurler was initially placed on the 15-day IL on May 15 after coming out of Colorado’s road game against the Pirates on May 14 with right arm tightness.
An MRI last month revealed a right elbow sprain. However, after seeking second opinions following a lack of improvement in rehab, the worst-case scenario appears to be looming for the No. 9 pick of the 2023 MLB Draft.
“[Dollander] is going for a pre-op appointment soon, within a week,” manager Warren Schaeffer said before the first of the Rockies’ three-game series against the Athletics in Las Vegas. “Then, possibly, it is looking like surgery on the UCL. It’s still not set in stone, but that’s the way it’s trending.”
The news is devastating for Dollander and the organization. The 24-year-old boasts a 3-3 record and a 3.89 ERA through 10 games (three starts) this season, racking up 47 punchouts in 44 innings.
His best start came against the Mets on April 26, when he delivered seven innings of scoreless ball. Along the way, Hollander used 105 pitches and struck out seven, walked two and allowed five hits.
Dollander has also shown major signs of improvement from his rookie season. He shaved his ERA from 6.52 in 21 starts in 2025, and increased his strikeouts per nine innings from 7.53 to 9.61. He also decreased his hits per nine innings from 9.46 to 7.98.
Dollander was initially optimistic about his prognosis after exiting his May 14 start in Pittsburgh with tightness in his throwing arm. He'd thrown just 28 pitches and allowed five hits -- including a homer -- three earned runs and one walk. “If anything happens to that area, your mind automatically goes to the worst-case scenario,” he said afterward.
Unfortunately for the Rockies and their budding star, the caution taken at PNC Park might have just been the beginning of a long road back to the mound.