No setbacks for Iannetta (lat) during rehab stint

Veteran feeling good, but still without timetable for return

May 2nd, 2019

MILWAUKEE -- Catcher Chris Iannetta has experienced no setbacks during his Minor League rehab stint, but there is no specific timetable for his return to the Rockies.

Iannetta, on the 10-day injured list since April 15 with a right lat strain, has played the past three games with Double-A Hartford.

“He’s feeling good,” Rockies manager Bud Black said before Wednesday night’s game. “The arm, no problems. He came out of the three games there with no issues, so that’s encouraging.”

“No timetable,” Black said. “That’s a fair question, I can’t answer that.”

Iannetta was behind the plate Monday and Tuesday, before being used as the DH during a day game Wednesday.

He has gone 0-for-8 with one RBI on a sacrifice fly and two strikeouts at Hartford.

Prior to the injury, the 36-year-old Iannetta was hitting .207 with one home run and two RBIs in 10 games with the Rockies, splitting time behind the plate with Tony Wolters.

Wolters is hitting .267 with no homers and five RBIs in 60 at-bats.

Drew Butera was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque when Iannetta went on the IL. Butera was behind the dish Wednesday and entered hitting .200 in 15 at-bats across six games with two doubles.

Butera, in his 10th Major League season, was traded from Kansas City to Colorado on Aug. 31 last season and appeared in 10 games with the Rockies. He was signed as a free agent to a Minor League contract by the Phillies in February, but he was released prior to the start of this season.

The Rockies signed Butera to a Minor League contract on March 25.

“We know Drew from last year and the job he did for us. Tony’s just getting more comfortable as a big leaguer, learning still, each and every day,” Black said. “We feel good about our catching on a number of levels.”

“I think all three of those guys will tell you that they’d like to provide a little bit more offense. We’ll see how that goes moving forward, but we feel good about our catching.”

Iannetta broke in with the Rockies in 2006 and played six seasons with Colorado before being traded to the Angels after the 2011 season. He signed with Seattle in 2016, then played the following season with Arizona, before signing again with Colorado ahead of 2018.