Troy

Tulowitzki

Agent Paul Cohen said the Rockies are taking extra precautions and Tulowitzki may not play again until instructional league in the fall.

A five-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove recipient at shortstop, Tulowitzki was among the top players in MLB for a period, though the latter part of his career was marred by injuries. He hit a combined .290 with 225 HR, 780 RBI and 57 steals across 14 major-league seasons, most of them spent in Colorado. “I will always look back with tremendous gratitude for having the privilege of playing as long as I did,” said the 34-year-old in a written statement. “I wish that my health had allowed for a different ending to that chapter.” Tulo lasted just five games this season before succumbing to a calf injury and didn’t appear close to returning before he made his announcement Thursday.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Didi Gregorius’ (elbow) return. Tulowitzki is shut down for now following a recent setback with his calf injury and he remains down indefinitely.

Instead, Tulowitzki has been sent home, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters that he’s doing so to “get over that (injury) hump and kind of push through the finish line of getting exactly right.” Tulowitzki was expected to begin a rehab assignment soon, but there’s no word as to when that’ll happen now. Consider the former All-Star out indefinitely until we get further word.

It’s looking like Didi Gregorius (elbow) will beat Tulo back at this point, so the latter’s best chance at playing time is adding to his versatility. He took groundballs at shortstop and third base on Monday. Tulo has never played a position other than shortstop as a pro.

Tulo experienced the setback while on a rehab assignment with High-A Tampa earlier this week. Given that he won’t resume activities for at least a week, it figures to be at least an additional week after that before he might be able to return, and that’s probably being optimistic.

The calf injury is why Tulowitzki is here in the first place, so obviously, this isn’t great news. Tulowitzki singled in his first at-bat, and then was pulled shortly after. He was hit in the leg by a pitch on Tuesday, but it’s not known if that had anything to do with the tightness. Expect Tulo to get a couple days off before restarting his rehab assignment.

Tulowitzki singled in the first inning, but was then pulled from the contest. There’s no word as to why the veteran infielder was pulled, but it’s worth noting that Tulowitzki was hit in the leg by a pitch on Tuesday. He was able to stay and finish that game, however. We’ll update you on Tulo’s status when we find out why he exited the contest.

Tulowitzki has been sidelined since suffering a left calf strain on April 4, but he’s finally ready to get back out there. The Yankees could certainly use the help, so the veteran shortstop might only need a handful of games before being activated. That’s assuming no setbacks, of course.

Tulowitzki has begun “baseball” activities as of last week, and the fact that he is close to an extended outing in the Grapefruit League is obviously good news for his prognosis. Assuming he gets a chance to play soon, he should start a rehab assignment after, and he could be back with the Yankees by the middle of May.