Aaron Cook Is A 'Longshot' To Return In 2010

As you can imagine, breaking your leg in September makes it mighty difficult to come back before the end of the season. Joey Votto broke Aaron Cook's leg with a comebacker on Wednesday, and nobody sounds real positive about Cook's 2010 outlook:

“I would consider it a longshot that he’s back in the regular season. I don’t know any other way to see it,” agent Joe Bick told The Denver Post this morning.

Pitcher Aaron Cook will likely need the Rockies to reach the playoffs and possibly advance to the second round to have a chance of returning this season. He suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right leg Wednesday night. Even if he heals quickly in three weeks, he won’t be able to throw much during this time because he can’t push off.

If the Rockies pull off another miracle run, they may be able to get Cook back by the midpoint or end of the playoffs. More likely, though, is that they'll have to live without him, and according to Troy Renck, Jeff Francis will step in as Cook's replacement:

Francis has made 16 starts on the year, with 59 strikeouts, 20 walks, and a 4.56 ERA through 92.2 innings.