DENVER -- Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin left Wednesday’s series finale in Colorado after a third-inning injury during Boston's 8-6 loss to the Rockies.
Durbin slid headfirst into first base on a grounder to Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield, who threw to pitcher Kyle Freeland for the out.
The official report from the clubhouse stated that Durbin was removed with a left fifth finger (pinky) subluxation. The injury took place when he touched the bag with his left hand while sliding.
“His pinky was kind of facing a direction it shouldn't, and they were able to pop it back in,” interim manager Chad Tracy said. “There’s no bone damage or fracture, so hopefully we're fine. We'll see how he is soreness-wise, but I think we might have dodged a bullet there.”
Durbin did not come back to play third base after the close play at first. Marcelo Mayer took his place in the lineup at short, with Andruw Monasterio moving from short to second and second baseman Anthony Seigler moving to third base for the bottom of the third inning.
Mayer, who was resting a sore foot and not in the lineup initially, doubled to the wall in center in his first at-bat, then scored on a Siegler double to left in the fifth. He also made a costly error leading to three unearned runs as the Rockies tied the game in the seventh and took a decisive lead in the eighth.
Durbin said he panicked when he initially saw his pinky pointing the wrong way, but it was back in place and feeling better by the end of the game.
“Pinky-wise, I feel really good,” Durbin said. “It looked worse initially than [when] the results came back, which is obviously a big win. No fracture, which was the big thing. Just a little stiffness, which isn't a big deal at all. The frustration is just having to come out and putting the guys in a tough position.”
Durbin has had a habit of headfirst dives as a baserunner, and he admitted the panic he felt at the initial injury will likely cure him of that inclination, at least for a while.
“I've done it a million times before, and I've seen way worse injuries from it,” Durbin said. “Probably won't do it again anytime soon. You hear all the time that it's slower to dive in, but instincts take over, and I obviously regret it, but I’m very happy that the outcome isn't as bad as it could have been, with no fracture.”
Durbin does not expect to spend any time on the injured list, and Tracy shared his sense of relief and hope after a taxing finale in Denver.