Rox nonplussed by CarGo's lingering ailment

NEW YORK -- Carlos Gonzalez's sprained right middle finger continues to hinder his ability to stay on the field. Now, the Rockies' left fielder might be closer to heading to the disabled list.

Gonzalez was not in Colorado's starting lineup in the series opener against the Mets on Tuesday at Citi Field, though manager Walt Weiss did say he's available to pinch-hit.

Weiss said Gonzalez's finger "heated up" again during his final at-bat in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Gonzalez, who's hitting .302 with 26 home runs and 70 RBIs, first hurt his finger during the follow-through of a swing back on July 7, and the pain has been ongoing since.

"We've got to figure out the right course of action there," Weiss said. "If we're going to keep him day to day, or if we need to go ahead and put him on the DL. I think we'll figure that out here shortly."

Weiss said one bad swing could make the injury even worse, and even extended rest might not help.

"They say it may not be much better," Weiss said. "It maybe gives it an opportunity to calm down a little bit, anyway."

Against the Pirates on Sunday, Gonzalez choked up on the bat to provide more support for his finger. His pinky typically hung below the knob. But during that final at-bat, the problem occurred once again.

It's a confounding situation for Gonzalez and the Rockies. Colorado is without its best hitter, and there doesn't appear to be a solution to keep him in the lineup consistently.

"It seems to calm down, but then in one swing, it could be right back to where it was," Weiss said. "It's a tough one to deal with."