Troy Tulowitzki headed to the DL

Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is headed to the disabled list with a broken rib suffered in this afternoon's game vs the Nationals. Here is more from Troy Renck from the Denver Post:

An MRI Thursday night of Troy Tulowitzki's right side revealed a broken rib, according to two major league sources. Tulowitzki is likely facing a lengthy absence.

The shortstop exited in the eighth inning of Thursday's 5-4 loss to Washington following a diving stop of a groundball, completing a dizzying parade of injuries to Carlos Gonzalez (bruised left foot) and Dexter Fowler (swollen knuckle on right ring finger). Gonzalez confirmed to The Post that "he was fine, just sore," and Fowler doesn't believe he will miss much time.

Tulowitzki was having difficulty breathing after his injury, pointing to a possible rib or intercostal muscle issue. The two-time all-star shortstop has been dealing with soreness in the rib area for a few days, but it wasn't serious enough to prevent him from playing.

The Rockies will make several roster moves tonight or tomorrow, as they will need a replacement for Carlos Gonzalez if he cannot go tomorrow night. They could also call up Josh Rutledge when Tulowitzki is placed on the DL.

It appears Rutledge will be called up as he was scratched from Thursday night's game, per Thomas Harding at MLB.com:

To protect themselves in case Tulowitzki is forced to miss time, Triple-A Colorado Springs made a late decision to scratch infielder Josh Rutledge from its lineup for Thursday night's game against Salt Lake City.

Tulowitzki will probably miss more than the required 15 days due to the broken ribs. Swinging a bat and diving for a ball are essential for him before he can even start a rehab assignment. I wouldn't be surprised to see him not return till mid-late July.

Update: Tulo will miss 4-6 weeks per Harding on Twitter:

#Rockies #LosRockies expect SS Trot Tulowitzki to miss 4-6 weeks w/ broken rib on right side.

— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) June 14, 2013

Tulowitzki was having a great year at the plate, hitting .347-.413-.635 with 16 HRs, 41 runs, and 51 RBI. He has had the injury prone tag on him for the past few years, and I thought the tag was ready to be removed this year, but to no avail.

Any way you look at it, losing Tulowitzki is a huge loss for fantasy owners, and you cannot replace his production. You can only hope that Rutledge, assuming he is called up, goes on a tear at the plate like he did last season after his call up.

For more on the Tulowitzki injury and the Rockies fan reaction to the news, make sure you check out Purple Row, SB Nation's Rockies fan site.