Rockies shut down catcher Nick Hundley after neck injury

Colorado Rockies catcher Nick Hundley was enjoying a career year at the plate, but his season came to end Friday when a neck injury forced the club to place him on the 60-day disabled list.

Hundley injured his neck during an at-bat last Sunday against the Giants and had been sitting out hoping rest would fix the problem. An MRI performed earlier this week revealed Hundley had a chip fracture, the Denver Post reported on Saturday.

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Hundley hit a career-best .301 this season playing in the second-most games of his career (103) with the second highest number of plate appearances and at-bats. He hit 10 home runs with 43 RBIs, numbers that were just short of his 2013 totals in San Diego.

The Rockies have two young catchers on the roster in Dustin Garneau and Tom Murphy. First baseman Wilin Rosario also has experience behind the plate and could catch games down the stretch. Garneau hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning Friday in Seattle to give the Rockies a 4-2 victory over the Mariners.

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Hundley has been a bright spot in what has been a disappointing and frustrating year for Colorado and its fans. Few expected the Rockies to contend in the NL west, but the club is in danger of losing 90 games for the second consecutive season and the third time in four years.

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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo