Rockies Reinstate Chad Bettis, Place Kyle Freeland On 10-Day DL

The Rockies have announced that they’ve reinstated righty Chad Bettis from the 60-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A. They’ve also placed lefty Kyle Freeland on the 10-day DL with a groin strain. In addition, they’ve recalled righties Shane Carle and Carlos Estevez and optioned Scott Oberg to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Bettis’ return to official minor-league duty, as well as his impending return to the Majors, is terrific news not only for the Rockies and their fans but for baseball as a whole. The righty had surgery for testicular cancer in the offseason, then began chemotherapy a few months later once it turned out the cancer had spread. He finished chemo in mid-May and returned to the Rockies in early June. He’s since had five rehab appearances, and he’s expected to return to the big-league rotation next week. Bettis posted a 4.79 ERA, 6.7 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 over 186 innings in the big leagues last year.

Freeland left yesterday’s start against Philadelphia after just nine pitches. The 2014 eighth overall pick been one of the keys to the Rockies’ surprising success this season, posting a 3.70 ERA, 5.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 121 2/3 innings in what’s been a strong rookie year.