Inside the Rockies’ ATR: Managing Injuries, Workloads and Grind of a 162-Game Season

For the Colorado Rockies’ Athletic Training staff, the baseball season is a nonstop balancing act of injury management, communication, sports science, and relationship-building.

And only six weeks into the season, they’ve already been busy.

From Tommy John recoveries to shoulder inflammation, hamstring strains, and elbow issues, the Rockies’ injured list has continued to grow—putting the organization’s athletic training and rehabilitation staff at the center of daily player care.

“We know a lot about the guys,” assistant Athletic Trainer Any Stover said. “If you want to know about the player, ask the athletic trainer.”

That role extends far beyond the field.

“One thing that people don’t realize is that we work for their families, too,” added head Athletic Trainer Keith Dugger. “We’re kind of like the referral gatekeeper for the families.”

Every day begins with meetings, treatment plans, player check-ins, workload monitoring, and communication with coaches and front office staff. Athletic Trainers work closely with strength coaches and performance specialists to help determine recovery schedules, rest days, and injury prevention strategies.

Modern sports science has also changed the profession dramatically.

“We have tools, we have cameras now, we can look at how much somebody ran, how fast they ran,” Dugger explained. “There’s a lot of things out there now.”

For pitchers especially, injury prevention has become one of baseball’s toughest challenges.

“These guys are better, faster, stronger than they’ve ever been,” said Rockies rehabilitation coordinator Scott Murayama. “We’re seeing a huge uptick in elbow injuries.”

But even with technology and data, the human side of Athletic Training remains critical.

“It’s like your own kids,” Dugger said. “Everyone’s a little bit different.”

Over the course of a grueling 162-game season, that ability to understand athletes physically and personally may be one of the most important skills an Athletic Trainer can have. Check out the full story here!