The Rockies are kicking right-hander Connor Seabold to the bullpen, reports Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Colorado plans to recall righty Peter Lambert from Triple-A Albuquerque to start tomorrow’s game in Miami instead.
Acquired from the Red Sox over the offseason, Seabold has started 13 of 20 outings during his first year in Colorado. His 72 2/3 innings are easily a career high and he’s third on the team in starts behind Austin Gomber and the currently-injured Kyle Freeland. The Rockies have plenty of pitching uncertainty, so they’ve been able to afford the 27-year-old his first extended look in a big league rotation.
To date, Seabold hasn’t taken advantage of the opportunity. He carries a 7.63 ERA as starter. Seabold is throwing a fair number of strikes but has gotten hit hard. He’s striking hitters out at a meager 15.1% clip and has surrendered 16 homers in 59 rotation innings (2.44 HR/9).
Seabold had a solid three-start run in early June, but his results since then have been alarming. He’s allowed six-plus runs in three of his last five outings. He failed to get past the fifth inning in any of them. The Yankees tagged him for six runs on as many hits in 2 1/3 innings in a 6-3 New York victory on Saturday, spurring the role change.
Lambert, a former second-round pick, started 19 games as a rookie four seasons ago. Injuries (most notably July 2020 Tommy John surgery) essentially ruined his next three campaigns. He’s worked in long relief for Colorado this season, tossing 34 1/3 frames over 16 outings. Lambert has only a 6.29 ERA of his own, though he’s at least striking hitters out at a decent 23.5% clip. Colorado optioned him early in the month to stretch back out as a starter in Albuquerque.
The 26-year-old has thrown 56 innings between the MLB and Triple-A levels this season. Saunders writes that the Rox are planning to keep him in the 100-120 range for the year. He should have a few chances to try to stake an early claim to a spot in a wide open Colorado rotation for 2024.
Gomber and Freeland (assuming he comes back as expected from a dislocation and small tear in his non-throwing shoulder) are the only two pitchers who seem to have holds on ’24 starting spots. Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela both underwent Tommy John surgeries this year. Márquez will be a free agent once Colorado buys out a $16MM option for next season; Senzatela is under contract but might not pitch at all next year. Of the other Rockies’ starters, only Ryan Feltner has an ERA below 6.00; he’s allowing 5.86 earned runs per nine over eight outings.
Oh, but why? He was doing so well. Just turn those runs to strikeouts and he’s golden.
Oh silly Rockie, you know have pitcher for start or bullpen. Just ding dong deliver boys in thin air.
Only have playoffs with smash mash strategy! So go! Go get Stanton! So cheap from Yankee. Agree for Detroit Baez contract eat! Cost no prospect and get maybe revival bat? A lot! Yes!
Mmm, yes. Very good. No argument, very succinct.
I’m confused. If they are moving Seabold to the pen and he is one of only three starting pitchers on the current roster, what exactly is the plan going forward? If you add Lambert, it is still just three healthy starters in Gomber, Chase Anderson, and Lambert. Are they going to have a bullpen day every other day? Is Freeland coming back sooner than expected? Is Flexen coming up? Are they planning to acquire another starter? So many questions and this move just adds more.
“Don’t you worry about blank, let me worry about blank”
-Rockies
We also would have accepted, blank! blank! You’re not looking at the big picture.
I wonder if hiflew sees anyones posts. That man slams the mute button for anything.
Ignorance is bliss!
The beauty of the the MLBTR mute button is that you can reply to someone if they reply to someone else under their own comment. Makes the whole mute button meaningless.
Usually people that mute others have terrible opinions, therefore their comments get many responses. So you can never be muted.
If there’s ever a time you are muted @BStrow I’ll respond to whoever blocked you and you can berate them under my comment. As General Sherman said “teamwork makes the dream work”
I think Flexen will join the team this week. Still need one more though if Freeland isn’t ready.
“Seabold has surrendered 16 HRs in 59 innings….” OMG…if the Rockies had any pitching they would have given Seabold a DFA long ago.
I am glad Manfred is not running out and drumming up support for expansion! There would be a lot more AAAA players in the MLB ….
To be fair, the Rockies will be terrible regardless of expansion being a thing or not. The ghost of Ian Desmond lives.
RIP Ian Desmond.
Lambert tomorrow then Flexseal the next day.