Hunter Goodman has been the top power-hitting catcher in baseball this year. The 26-year-old Colorado Rockies star has smashed a career-high 34 home runs and has 69 RBI. Unfortunately for Goodman, he won’t be able to immediately add to those numbers as he is currently on the MLB IL with a left shoulder strain.
Below, we will dish out a Goodman injury update and look at potential return dates for the Colorado backstop.
Hunter Goodman injury update: When will Rockies catcher return?
Goodman injured his shoulder while swinging the bat on August 12 at the Diamondbacks. The Rockies placed Goodman on the 10-day IL, retroactive to August 15.
“Even though he said he felt this in Arizona last week, if you look at Hunter Goodman’s last 17 games played, he only has 4 extra base hits,” said 104.3 The Fan’s Jake Shapiro. “This has been a problem for Hunter Goodman, developing that power, having the at-bats that we saw him have earlier this season. It’s funny because the Rockies might be playing their best baseball here, the last month or so of the season—or at least in spurts. Hunter Goodman for the large chunk of that has either been not playing or has been horrible.”
Given that the Rockies currently own the worst record in the National League, at 50-77, there is little incentive to rush Goodman back.
If the Rockies were involved in a playoff push, it is likely that Goodman would have either played through the injury or at least be ready to return on the first possible date of eligibility. Goodman is eligible to come off the IL on August 25, but it is likely that the Rockies give him some extra time.
It is entirely possible that the Rockies could shut down Goodman for the season given their place in the standings at this late stage of the season.
Nonetheless, here is a look at the Rockies schedule around the time that Goodman is eligible to be back in the lineup.
- Tuesday, August 25: Rockies at Nationals
- Wednesday, August 26: Rockies at Nationals
- Thursday, August 27: Rockies at Nationals
- Friday, August 28: Rockies at Braves
- Saturday, August 29: Rockies at Braves
- Sunday, August 30: Rockies at Braves
- Monday, August 31: Orioles at Rockies
- Tuesday, September 1: Orioles at Rockies
- Wednesday, September 2: Orioles at Rockies
- Thursday, September 4: Cardinals at Rockies
MLB teams typically prefer to bring players back from the IL during a homestand, so a return on Monday, August 31 at home against the Orioles makes some sense.
Hunter Goodman odds
Goodman began the 2026 MLB season with +30000 odds to win National League MVP at Fanatics Sportsbook. While Goodman has put up strong numbers this season, he is not currently in the MVP conversation as Pete Crow-Armstrong (-175) and Shoehi Ohtani (+145) are the primary contenders.
Rockies odds
The Rockies began the season tied with the longest odds to win the World Series as they were +50000 to win it all. Colorado hasn’t done much this season to quiet the doubters from the spring, as only the Athletics have less victories in 2026.
The Rockies do not appear on the Fanatics World Series odds board, and they do not even appear on the “To Make The Playoffs” board.
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