SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Rockies absorbed yet another dose of injury news Tuesday, this time revealing that catcher Tom Murphy sustained a hairline fracture in his right forearm when he was struck by Anthony Rizzo's bat during a game against the Cubs on Saturday.
Murphy will be out of action for four to six weeks, according to Rockies manager Bud Black. The 25-year-old catcher, who had a splint placed on the arm Tuesday, was injured when Rizzo's follow-through struck him in the lower arm toward the wrist area just as he had thrown the ball to second base.
Murphy -- ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the Rockies' No. 11 prospect -- was in obvious pain following the first-inning incident, but after being checked by trainers, he wound up playing through the sixth inning. He said the pain was worse the next morning, and although X-rays did not show the fracture, an MRI did.
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Catchers often get dinged by pitches and the occasional backswing, but this was different for Murphy.
"To be honest, that was the first time that's ever happened to me," Murphy said. "It hurt right away, obviously by my reaction, but I felt like I was able to continue to play at a level that was good enough for the game."
Having toughed it out that game, he's ready to do the same during his recovery. Murphy said he's intent on doing whatever he still can to continue his preparations for the regular season.
"I'm going to hammer my receiving and hammer everything else I can do with my left hand and continue to grow that way, take advantage of the opportunities I have," Murphy said.
"The healing process has started," Black said. "We have to let the human body heal this, and we'll make adjustments moving forward."
Tony Wolters and Dustin Garneau, the other two catchers on the Rockies' 40-man roster, will pick up a bit more playing time, and the club still has Dom Nunez (Colorado's No. 12 prospect and No. 2 catcher, behind Murphy) next door at Minor League camp, and non-roster invitees Anthony Bemboom and Jan Vazquez are still in Major League camp.
Murphy has played in 32 games for the Rockies over the past two seasons, hitting five home runs in 44 at-bats last season.
The news comes on top of a string of injuries, including a broken left hand for first baseman Ian Desmond and a rib injury for outfielder David Dahl.
"We've had a tough time with bones here lately," Black said.
Understandably frustrated by the turn of events, Murphy said he felt like he was improving defensively, which was his goal coming into camp. But he'll do what he can do to stay in shape and stay positive going forward.
"It could be worse," Murphy said. "It's a pretty complex structure in the wrist area. You're dealing with ligaments and tendons, and to have just a hairline fracture I guess is the best-case scenario there."