Desmond plays it safe after leg tightens up

ST. LOUIS -- Hoping to prevent the tightness in his right calf from becoming a true recurrence of an injury that cost him nine games this month, Ian Desmond left after three innings of the Rockies' 3-2 loss to the Cardinals on Tuesday night.
"I went to cover the bag and just felt it a little bit," Desmond said. "I tried to keep going, but we've got some important games coming up, so I wanted to be smart, make a good decision."
Rockies manager Bud Black, who replaced Desmond at first base with Mark Reynolds, said the extent of the injury was unclear.

Bud Black explains why @IDesmond20 has been removed from tonight's #MLBNShowcase between the @Rockies and @Cardinals. pic.twitter.com/BwfIM8qP2v

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 26, 2017

"We'll see how he is tomorrow, but the calf tightened up and we're not sure if it's a calf strain or it just tightened up," Black said. "This could turn into something bigger if he continued."
Desmond, 31, played for the Nationals from 2009-15 and the Rangers last season, and had never been placed on the disabled list before signing his five-year, $70 million contract with the Rockies. But he missed the first 25 games with a fractured left hand suffered in Spring Training, and later had the calf problem.
Desmond struck out in his only at-bat Tuesday against Cardinals starter Lance Lynn and is hitting .285 with five home runs and 32 RBIs in 65 games.