Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez was back at home and resting comfortably on Saturday night after undergoing an emergency appendectomy at a Denver hospital on Friday.
Gonzalez, who has dealt with numerous baseball related ailments over the past few seasons, was taken to the hospital after experiencing strong stomach pains and was quickly taken into the emergency room according to his official Twitter account. A short time later he was on the operating table.
Carlos González was operated for appendicitis last night in Denver, presented a strong stomach pain and went to the emergency...
— Car Go (@CarGoMedia5) January 11, 2014
Luckily CarGo is recovering and is stable now. — Car Go (@CarGoMedia5) January 11, 2014
It sounds like Gonzalez made a good decision to get to the hospital when he did. Obviously the longer you wait with appendicitis the more dangerous the situation becomes, but Gonzalez was reportedly doing very well early on Saturday and according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com was eventually released from the hospital late in the afternoon.
Harding also reported that doctors removed a small hernia near Gonzalez's navel during the procedure.
Gonzalez is expected to be shut down from exercise and baseball activities until doctors see him at a follow-up appointment in two weeks. That will push back his preparation for 2014 season considerably, but the Rockies will just have to hope it’s closer to a two-week recovery than a two-month recovery as seen in the past with Corey Hart and Aaron Harang.

This development comes near the end of the what the Rockies were hoping would be an uneventful offseason for their frequently banged up outfielder. In fact, Gonzalez has also been rehabbing a sprained right middle finger that nearly required surgery. To this point, Gonzalez’s finger has responded well to treatment and doesn’t seem like it will be a hindrance once the season begins. If anything, the Rockies can hang their hat on that bit of good news while keeping their fingers crossed on Gonzalez's recovery.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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