The Colorado Rockies will indeed have a brand new body in the lineup on Friday night when the team starts the second half of the season. Shortstop Josh Rutledge is in the lineup at shortstop and batting eighth in his major league debut (full lineup).
A series of moves were made before the game:
So Rutledge starting at SS and hitting 8th. Helton not on card so likely headed to DL w hip injury and Eckstrom in for Chatwood
— Troy Renck, Rockies (@TroyRenck) July 13, 2012
Now is as good of a time as any for Rutledge to make his debut, especially with the trade deadline coming up. If Rutledge can play decently, the team is likely to move Marco Scutaro and then shift the youngster over to second base when Troy Tulowitzki comes back from his disabled list stint.
As for Chatwood, Troy Renck reports that the pitcher might be headed to Double-A Tulsa so he can pitch in a rotation.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage, visit Rockies blog Purple Row. For more baseball coverage, check out Baseball Nation as well as MLB Daily Dish.