DENVER - The Phillies on Saturday placed two shortstops on the injured list.
With Jean Segura down for at least seven games and Scott Kingery out longer than that - both have hamstring injuries - the Phillies will look to Phil Gosselin to handle the position.
Gosselin, 30, signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies this winter after spending parts of the previous six seasons in the majors with five different clubs.
A local guy from West Chester, Malvern Prep and the University of Virginia, Gosselin signed with the Phillies because they were in win-now mode and he figured at some point they might have a need for a veteran who can play all over the diamond.
That need is here.
Called up from Triple A on Wednesday, Gosselin took over at shortstop when Kingery went down on Friday night. For a short time, it looked as if Gosselin, playing in his first game for the team he grew up rooting for, might be one of the stars of a victory. He came back from an 0-2 count to stroke a two-out hit in the 12th then scored the tie-breaking run on a double by Bryce Harper. The Phils were one strike from winning when Charlie Blackmon clubbed a two-run homer against Juan Nicasio to give the Rockies a 4-3 win.
Philadelphia Phillies
Complete coverage of the Fightin' Phils and their MLB rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Manager Gabe Kapler called the loss "brutal."
He could have added an unprintable adjective in front of that.
On Saturday, the Phils addressed the fallout.
Nicasio was in the game because Victor Arano had a tender elbow and could not go. Kapler said Arano was tender from a massage he had last week in Miami. (We're guessing Sparky Lyle never had that issue.)
Arano joined Segura and Kingery on the 10-day IL.
To fill the void, the Phils called up infielder Mitch Walding and relievers Austin Davis and Drew Anderson from Triple A.
The Phillies were actually leaning toward playing Segura on Sunday. When Kingery went down, they decided it was best to make sure they got Segura back to 100 percent so they placed him on the IL to avoid the temptation of using him before he was completely ready. Segura will be eligible to return next Saturday so Gosselin's starting assignment is temporary - but important.
Gosselin, who shined in spring training, hitting .405 with a 1.159 OPS, can play all over but most of his big-league time has come at second base and third base. He has played just 64 innings at shortstop in the majors. He has significantly more time there in the minors.
"It's exciting," Gosselin said of his opportunity. "I think all of us in here, guys that don't play every day, want to play every day. We all want to get the chance, no matter if it's catcher, right field. I'll put in some work with (infield coach) Bobby Dickerson, keep working at it, and look to make all the routine plays out there so the pitchers have confidence in me."
Behind Gosselin, the Phillies could use Cesar Hernandez, Roman Quinn or even Maikel Franco at shortstop in a pinch. The Phils have Sean Rodriguez and Andrew Romine at Triple A if more reinforcements are needed at the position.
There was no immediate word on how long Kingery would be out. Team medical personnel was still evaluating his MRI on Saturday night.
Kapler said it was difficult to see Kingery go on the IL.
"I watch Scott Kingery play like I'm watching a family member," Kapler said. "I feel that invested in watching him play and caring about his well being. It was an enormous blow to see him having the success that we all knew he could have and to know that was going to be interrupted. He's going to be back on the field but it was that his progress, his flow, his confidence, and his health were interrupted in that moment and that was upsetting. I'm still upset about it."
Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.
