Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Rockies Rumors

Rockies Option Michael Toglia, Designate Aaron Schunk, Select Keston Hiura

By | at

The Rockies announced three roster moves Saturday, including the selection of Keston Hiura’s minor league contract to the active roster.  In corresponding moves, Colorado designated infielder Aaron Schunk for assignment and optioned Michael Toglia to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Toglia’s demotion is the most noteworthy of the transactions, as the former first-rounder has been the Rockies’ everyday first baseman.  After struggling in limited playing time in 2022-23, Toglia had a borderline breakout over 458 plate appearances in 2024, hitting .218/.311/.456 with 25 home runs.  While this still translated to just a 98 wRC+, Toglia showed some strong power and contact numbers, as well as an outstanding 11.8% walk rate.

Those promising signs have evaporated this season, however, amidst the disaster that is the 2025 Rockies season.  Toglia has hit just .194/.266/.349 with six home runs over 207 PA, with his walk rate dropping to only slightly above the league average.  The swing-and-miss problems that have persisted throughout his brief MLB career have continued, as Toglia has struck out a league-leading 81 times in those 207 PA.

Against these extreme struggles, Toglia will head back to Albuquerque to see if he can get himself on track.  The hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League isn’t exactly the most accurate representation of batting prowess, but posting some good numbers would do well to help Toglia’s confidence in preparation for another call-up later in the year.  As Toglia approaches his 27th birthday in August, it is also fair to wonder if the Rox still view him as a potential long-term answer in the lineup, or if first base could be one of the many positions that may be reviewed when the team takes stock after what might be a record-setting nightmare year.

Hiura was an even more highly-touted prospect during his days in the Brewers’ farm system, as Hiura was viewed as one of the sport’s top minor leaguers.  An outstanding 2019 rookie season seemed to answer that promise, yet Hiura has since hit only .203/.287/.384 over 736 Major League plate appearances since Opening Day 2020.  Like Toglia, Hiura has been very prone to strikeouts, with a 36K% to show for his big league career.  Hiura elected free agency after being cut loose from the Angels last season, and he joined Colorado on a minors deal this past winter.

Toglia was the Rockies’ first-round pick in the 2019 draft, and Schunk went in the second round, selected 62nd overall.  Schunk made his Major League debut last season, and has a .230/.254/.311 slash line to show for 127 PA during the 2024-25 seasons, while playing at second, third, and shortstop.

Kyle Farmer, Orlando Arcia, and Tyler Freeman are utility types on the Rockies’ roster, so even though Schunk is a homegrown product, the Rox felt he was an expendable piece.  Schunk was already designated for assignment and outrighted off the 40-man roster back in February, so if he clears waivers again, he can choose free agency rather than accept another outright to Albuquerque.

Rockies, Nick Anderson Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

Reliever Nick Anderson has a minor league deal with the Rockies, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. Anderson, a client of Gaeta Sports Management, had been on a minor league contract with the Cardinals. He triggered an opt-out and quickly found another landing spot.

Anderson had been pitching for the Cards’ top farm team in Memphis. He made 17 appearances, allowing a 6.20 ERA over 20 1/3 innings. His respective strikeout (21.5%) and walk (8.6%) rates weren’t terrible, but he gave up a fair amount of hard contact and had a tough time stranding runners. St. Louis unsurprisingly decided not to call him up when he triggered the out clause.

The 34-year-old Anderson appeared in the majors with the Royals in the first half of last season. He tossed 35 2/3 frames of 4.04 ERA ball with a modest 19% strikeout rate. Anderson subsequently spent time in Triple-A with the Dodgers and Orioles but didn’t get a major league opportunity with either club.

Anderson has been a journeyman middle relief type since his brilliant 2019-20 run between Miami and Tampa Bay. He provided the Braves 35 1/3 innings of 3.06 ERA ball a couple seasons back and still sits in the 94-95 MPH range with his fastball. Colorado’s bullpen has managed a serviceable 4.29 ERA overall, but they’re last in MLB with an 18.9% strikeout rate.

Rockies Designate Nick Martini For Assignment

By | at

The Rockies announced Friday that outfielder Nick Martini has been designated for assignment. His roster spot will go to fellow outfielder Sam Hilliard, who’s back for another stint with the Rockies and has had his contract selected from Triple-A Albuquerque. Colorado also reinstated infielder Thairo Estrada from the 60-day injured list and optioned infielder Adael Amador to Albuquerque.

Martini, 34, signed a minor league deal with the Rox over the winter and broke camp with the club after a big spring performance. He’s received 111 plate appearances in the first two months and been shielded almost entirely from left-handed pitching (just five plate appearances) but has only mustered a .225/.288/.294 line at the plate. It’s a second straight season of struggles, as Martini logged a tepid .212/.272/.370 in 163 plate appearances with the 2024 Reds.

As recently as 2023, Martini posted a .264/.329/.583 slash in an admittedly small sample of of 79 plate appearances with Cincinnati. From 2018-23, he received sparse big league playing time — despite an excellent Triple-A track record — and hit .268/.362/.412 with an 11.2% walk rate in 412 plate appearances. Martini has always walked at a huge clip and has been an on-base machine in the upper minors; he’s played in parts of eight Triple-A seasons and is a .294/.399/.454 hitter there.

Obviously, that type of production didn’t play out in 2025. The Rockies will either trade Martini or place him on waivers within the next week. Assuming he clears, he’ll have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Hilliard returns for what’ll be his sixth season with the Rockies. He was a 15th-round pick by Colorado back in 2015 and suited up with the Rox from 2019-22 before bouncing to the Orioles and Braves via waivers. He appeared in 40 games with the 2023 Braves, then returned to the Rockies via waivers in February 2024. He’s since been removed from the 40-man roster but chose to stick with the Rockies and accepted an outright assignment.

Hilliard is having a nice season in Triple-A. The 31-year-old is batting .288/.372/.538 — about 15% better than league average in that hitter-friendly setting, by measure of wRC+ — and has swatted six home runs along the way. He’s striking out too often (26.1%), as is typical for him, but he’s also drawn walks at a hearty 12.2% clip.

The 31-year-old Hilliard is heading back for what’ll be his seventh partial season in the big leagues. He’s long shown an intriguing blend of power and speed, but his inability to consistently make contact has left him with a .219/.296/.438 batting line in 875 major league plate appearances. Hillard has struck out in a massive 34.1% of those trips to the plate.

Estrada, 29, will make his team debut when he first takes the field. Colorado signed him to a one-year, $4MM contract over the offseason, but he’s missed the entire year so far after suffering a broken wrist when he was hit by a pitch in spring training.

A longtime division rival, Estrada had a mostly productive run in four years with the Giants. From 2021-23, he hit a combined .266/.320/.416 with strong glovework around the infield. He was San Francisco’s primary second baseman for much of his time there and enjoyed consecutive seasons with 14 home runs and 20-plus steals in 2022-23.

Estrada’s production tanked in 2024, however. He hit .217/.247/.343 in 381 plate appearances while battling a pair of sprains in his left wrist (the opposite wrist from the one he fractured this spring). The Rox signed him hoping for a rebound, which could still play out, but Estrada has now missed time in three straight seasons due to hand/wrist injuries, making it fair to wonder what type of toll that may ultimately take on his offensive output.

Rockies Re-Sign Owen Miller To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Rockies have re-signed Owen Miller to a minor league deal, a move reflected in his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He has already reported to Triple-A Albuquerque and played for the Isotopes yesterday.

Miller, 28, was acquired from the Brewers in the offseason. He had been outrighted by Milwaukee last year, so he gave the Rockies some non-roster depth to start the season. He was selected up to the majors in late April. He got into nine games and stepped to the plate 17 times, hitting .143/.294/.143. He was designated for assignment a couple of weeks ago. He cleared outright waivers for the second time in his career, which gave him the right to elect free agency, but he has circled back to the Rockies on a fresh minor league deal.

He hasn’t been able to do much with his big league opportunities so far, having also spent time with the Guardians before becoming a Brewer. He now has a .238/.287/.342 career line in 1,032 big league plate appearances, production which translates to a 75 wRC+. But he has bounced around to all four infield spots and the outfield corners. He also has 18 steals in 20 attempts.

His minor league offense has naturally been better than his major league work. He has a .279/.354/.427 line and 106 wRC+ at the Triple-A level dating back to the start of the 2021 season. He could perhaps serve as a useful utility piece if he could provide something close to that in the majors. For now, he’ll try to get in a good groove with the Isotopes and earn his way back to the show.

Photo courtesy of Kelley L Cox, Imagn Images

Rockies Sign Orlando Arcia

By | at

May 28: The Rockies have just made it official, announcing their signing of Arcia. Infielder Aaron Schunk has been optioned as the corresponding move. The 40-man roster count goes from 38 to 39.

May 27: Arcia and the Rox are in agreement on a big league deal, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

May 26: The Rockies and free agent infielder Orlando Arcia are in the final stages of contract talks, according to Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extra Base.  Should the deal be completed, it will mark a quick turn-around in the open market for Arcia, who was released just yesterday by the Braves after he cleared waivers. Arcia is repped by World Sports Agency.

Ezequiel Tovar is locked in as Colorado’s everyday shortstop, so adding Arcia probably means the Rockies are either looking at the 30-year-old as a depth piece.  Second baseman Adael Amador hasn’t hit much at all since being called up to the majors, so the Rockies might be considering sending him back down to Triple-A since Thairo Estrada is close to returning from the injured list.  This leaves Arcia, Kyle Farmer, Tyler Freeman and Aaron Schunk on hand as the bench depth, barring another move.

Arcia has mostly played shortstop during his 10 Major League seasons, and his generally solid glovework has helped him carve out that long career despite a modest .241/.294/.373 slash line.  His most consistent offensive run came with the Braves in 2022 and during the first half of the 2023 season, and Arcia was even named to the All-Star team for his strong performance at the plate in the opening months of the 2023 campaign.

Since then, however, Arcia’s bat has normalized back its usual levels, and he lost his starting shortstop job in Atlanta to Nick Allen.  Arcia has appeared in only 14 games this season, and batted .194/.219/.226 in 32 trips to the plate.  Since Arcia was no longer in the team’s plans, the Braves designated him for assignment and released him earlier this week.

Owed $2MM in 2025, Arcia is still owed around $1.376MM of that salary, plus his contract contains a $2MM club option for 2026 with a $1MM buyout.  The Rockies only owe the prorated MLB minimum portion of what remains of his 2025 salary, with Atlanta booting the rest of the bill.

The price tag is small enough that the Rockies may have felt it was worth it to bring in a veteran player with some relatively recent success on his track record — perhaps as a trade chip for the deadline, or perhaps just as an upgrade over its other backup infield options.  Since Colorado certainly looks like it will be a seller at the deadline, any number of roster spots could be opening up after July 31.  If Arcia himself isn’t moved, he can cover innings for the Rockies in the event that perhaps Estrada, Farmer, or Freeman are moved, or if the Rox explore a bigger trade like moving Ryan McMahon.

Rockies Release Scott Alexander

By | at

Left-hander Scott Alexander has been released by the Rockies, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had been designated for assignment by Colorado last week. He’ll head to the open market once he’s cleared released waivers, unless he has already.

This was the expected outcome once Alexander was DFA’d. He joined the Rockies on a $2MM deal this offseason. He went on to post a 6.06 earned run average over his first 19 appearances with the club. Given that performance, no club would want to take on his salary. If he had cleared outright waivers, he would have had the right to elect free agency and keep that money, as a veteran with well beyond five years of major league service time.

The Rockies are skipping that formality and sending him more directly to the open market, which could potentially lead to him garnering more interest. The Rockies remain on the hook for what’s left of his salary. Any other club could sign him and would only have to pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Rockies pay.

While Alexander is currently sitting on a rough ERA for this year, it’s worth considering the Coors Field effect. He has a 7.20 ERA in Denver this year but a more reasonable 4.26 ERA on the road. Those are small samples of 10 innings and 6 1/3 innings respectively but Alexander also has a 48.7% ground ball rate in Denver compared to 63.2% elsewhere.

Getting those grounders has been the key to his major league career, which spans almost a decade at this point. He debuted back in 2015 and has since posted a 66.6% ground ball rate in 325 2/3 innings. Zack Britton is the only pitcher in baseball with a better grounder rate in that time, among pitchers with at least 300 innings pitched. That has helped Alexander post a 3.34 ERA in his big league time. Considering that track record and the low price tag, it’s possible the southpaw field some calls in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images

Rockies Designate Scott Alexander For Assignment

By | at

The Rockies announced that right-hander Tanner Gordon has been recalled to start tonight’s game, a move necessitated by Chase Dollander landing on the injured list yesterday. In a corresponding move for Gordon, left-hander Scott Alexander has been designated for assignment. The club’s 40-man count drops from 39 to 38.

Alexander, 35, was signed by the Rockies in the offseason. Colorado gave him $2MM on a one-year deal to serve as a veteran arm in a bullpen that was generally lacking in experience. That hasn’t worked out. His 53.4% ground ball rate this year is above league average but below his usual pace. He’s never been a huge strikeout rate guy but his 8.3% clip is low even by his personal standards. That has led to a 6.06 earned run average in 16 1/3 innings.

That performance has bumped him off the roster. Given his numbers and his salary, no club is likely to claim him off waivers. As a veteran, he has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment while keeping his salary in place. He will likely be on the open market soon, either by being released by the Rockies or by electing free agency.

If that comes to pass, the Rockies would be on the hook for what’s left of his salary. Any other club could sign him at that point and would only have to pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster. That amount would be subtracted from what the Rockies pay.

It’s possible some clubs would be interested in that arrangement, despite this year’s numbers. From 2015 through 2024, Alexander tossed 309 1/3 big league innings with a 3.20 ERA. His 18% strikeout rate was a few ticks shy of par but he got grounders at a massive 67.4% rate. Among pitchers with at least 300 innings pitched in that decade, only Zack Britton kept the ball on the ground at a higher clip.

The numbers in 2025 haven’t been great but it wouldn’t be a surprise if some team thought Alexander could bounce back, especially by getting away from Coors Field. He has a 7.20 ERA at home this year compared to a 4.26 ERA on the road. His 48.7% grounder rate at Coors is far lighter than his 63.2% rate in away games this season.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin, Oncea-Imagn Images

Rockies Place Chase Dollander On IL With Forearm Tightness

By | at

5:00pm: Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post relays that the club doesn’t consider Dollander’s issue serious. Gordon will start tomorrow’s game and they expect Dollander to return after a minimal IL stint.

12:35pm: The Rockies announced that right-hander Chase Dollander has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 19th, due to right forearm tightness. Fellow righty Juan Mejia has been recalled as the corresponding move.

To this point, the Rockies haven’t provided any specifics about Dollander’s injury or how long they expect him to be out. He started for the club on Sunday and everything seemed fairly normal at the time. He tossed 98 pitches over 4 2/3 innings, striking out six Diamondbacks. He allowed one earned run, which came on a solo home run off the bat of Ketel Marte. His velocity was in line with his previous starts.

Perhaps the Rockies are just being cautious with a young pitcher. After all, they have nothing to play for in the short term. Their 8-41 record is easily the worst in baseball and puts them on pace for one of the worst seasons ever. Dollander is one of the best prospects in baseball and only debuted last month. It would make sense for the club to pump the brakes on any minor issue with his throwing arm.

However, there’s always concern when a pitcher’s throwing arm is in the spotlight like this. If Dollander requires any kind of lengthy stay on the injured list, it would further dampen the mood for the Rockies, if that’s even possible with their current status. His 6.28 earned run average through eight starts doesn’t look too impressive but at least his 22.1% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate are close to average. His .260 batting average on balls in play, 62.8% strand rate and 18.9% home run to flyball rate are all on the unfortunate side of average. Some ERA estimators indicate he has deserved betters results, with his SIERA at 4.35.

Ideally, the one silver lining of this frustrating season would be plenty of opportunity for young players to develop and emerge as key pieces for the next competitive window. If this is just a precautionary breather for Dollander, he could still get a lot of starts under his belt in the remainder of the season. But a lengthier stint on the IL would obviously be unwelcome.

Perhaps the club will provide more information in the coming days. Regardless of the details there, they will have a rotation spot to fill. Germán Márquez, Antonio Senzatela and Kyle Freeland have three spots. Rookie Carson Palmquist has recently been promoted and will presumably stick around. Ryan Feltner and Austin Gomber are both on the IL with uncertain timelines. Bradley Blalock and Tanner Gordon are both on the 40-man and have made big league starts this year, so one of them will probably get the call.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Owen Miller Elects Free Agency

By | at

Infielder Owen Miller, who was recently designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A by the Rockies, has rejected that outright assignment in favor of free agency, per the transaction log at MiLB.com.

Colorado originally acquired the now-28-year-old Miller from the Brewers in exchange for cash back in November. Milwaukee had designated him for assignment and passed him through outright waivers last summer, but the Rox selected him back to the majors in April. Miller went 2-for-14 with a pair of walks and was hit by a pitch during 17 plate appearances with Colorado before being designated for assignment again. Because of that prior outright, he had the option to elect free agency upon clearing waivers this time around.

Miller opened the 2025 season with the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque. He tallied 90 plate appearances and batted .244/.322/.372 with two homers, two steals, a 10% walk rate and a 15.6% strikeout rate. It’s the fourth season in which Miller has seen time at Triple-A, where he’s a combined .279/.353/.427 batter in 793 plate appearances.

Miller has also seen major league time in five seasons now, previously suiting up for a pair of seasons with the Brewers and another two with the Guardians. He’s picked up 1032 plate appearances and hit .238/.287/.342 with 15 home runs, 52 doubles, a triple, 18 steals (in 20 tries), a 5.8% walk rate and a 21.3 strikeout rate.

Defensively, Miller is something of a jack-of-all-trades. He’s not necessarily proficient at any one position, but he’s recorded more than 1100 innings at each of shortstop, first base and second base, in addition to 815 innings at third base. He’s seen more sparse time in the outfield, logging a combined 204 innings across all three positions. Miller hadn’t played shortstop since 2021 until this season, but the Rockies gave him four games there in Triple-A this season — one of seven positions he played while in their system.

Miller will take that versatile defensive skill set and solid Triple-A track record back to the open market and search for a new opportunity with a club that could use a right-handed bat and/or some depth at multiple positions.

Alan Trejo Elects Free Agency

By and | at

The Rockies sent infielder Alan Trejo outright to Triple-A Albuquerque but he has exercised his right to elect free agency, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last week. The log also indicates that infielder Owen Miller was outrighted after last week’s DFA. He also has the right to free agency, but there’s no indication he has done so.

Trejo, 29 this month, got a brief run on Colorado’s roster. The Rockies acquired him from the Rangers in a cash deal at the end of April. He was sent to the plate 43 times but produced a dismal line of .175/.190/.225.

That’s an extreme low in a small sample but it continues his glove-first trajectory. He now has a .224/.269/.325 batting line and 49 wRC+ in 512 big league plate appearances. He has played the three infield positions to the left of first base, with at least 183 innings at each of those spots. His work at shortstop has been subpar but passable, while he’s been above average at both second and third base.

The Rockies acquired Trejo and selected Miller to fill in during a time when infielders Ezequiel Tovar, Tyler Freeman and Aaron Schunk were all on the IL, though all three were reinstated last week. Trejo and Miller are both out of options, leaving the Rockies little choice but to cut them from the 40-man entirely. As players with previous career outrights, they have the right to reject further outright assignments in favor of free agency.

Trejo’s entire big league career has been with the Rockies, though he has signed minor league deals with the Dodgers and Rangers. Perhaps he and the Rockies will reunite on a fresh minor league deal in the coming days but he will have the chance to talk to the other 29 clubs as well.

Miller was acquired from Milwaukee in a minor trade over the offseason. Colorado called him up despite a modest .244/.322/.372 slash line in Triple-A. He didn’t play much in the big leagues, going 2-14 while starting four games at second base. Assuming he doesn’t elect free agency, he’ll remain in the system as non-roster infield depth.

Photo courtesy of Eakin Howard, Imagn Images

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top