Hunter Goodman: Shoulder Return and 35th HR
Thirteen days of invisible work. One very loud answer in the fourth inning.
Hunter Goodman hurt his left shoulder on a swing. August 12 at Arizona. The Rockies placed him on the injured list days later.
That was 13 days ago. On Tuesday, August 25, 2026, he stepped in against the Nationals’ starter in the fourth inning and hit a solo home run — his 35th of the year, fifth in the Major Leagues. The Colorado Rockies beat Washington 3-1. They ended a seven-game losing streak. He was in the lineup. He was healthy. He drove the ball.
Goodman arrived Tuesday carrying one of the more remarkable catcher seasons in recent memory. Earlier this month, he matched Mike Piazza’s 1995 record of 6 multi-homer games in a season by an NL catcher. He entered the IL with 34 home runs.
The shoulder is the catcher’s most vulnerable joint. Every catcher who plays deep into a long season understands this: the joint suffers from attrition. The blocks off the shin guard send a shockwave upward. The foul tips absorbed through the mitt compound it. Then there is the same overhand throw to second, game after game, until the rotator cuff accumulates what the scorebook never shows. Goodman’s shoulder gave out on a swing, not a throw — but that does not make it lighter. He felt it. He took the time. Then he came back and drove the ball into the seats.
Meanwhile, Mason Adams started for the Rockies and worked into the fifth inning in his big-league debut. The game was quiet and efficient. The only loud thing in it was the crack of the bat in the fourth.
The question that follows every catcher shoulder injury is whether the arm will be the same. Goodman answered it that night. Catchers who come back from shoulder issues and immediately produce aren’t lucky. They work harder. The visible moment on August 25 was the result of 13 days with his team’s trainers.
That is something you can start today. Not when you are hurt — before. The catchers who recover fastest from shoulder strains are the ones who maintained their shoulders before the strain arrived.
Try this at your next practice
Shoulder circuit (three times a week, season and off-season). J-band or light resistance band: internal rotation, external rotation, scaption (raises to roughly 45 degrees between the front and side). Fifteen reps each direction, slow and controlled. Do it before practice, not after. The shoulder responds to warming first.
Recovery-day rule. After any game where you threw to second 30 or more times, run the circuit before you sleep. Not for long — eight minutes. But do it that night, not tomorrow.
Sources: Goodman hits 35th homer in return as Rockies snap skid (Washington Post) · Goodman hits 35th homer in return (Denver7) · Goodman returns from IL (MLB.com) · Rockies snap seven-game skid as Goodman homers (Denver Sports)
