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
Paging Dr Tommy John! Dr Tommy John please report to Surgery!
Forearm tightness strikes again…
“Forearm tightness” is music to the ears of Dr. ElAttrache and Dr. Meister. They probably have those words set as the ringtone for every team trainer and physician.
Time and Time Again
~Asia 1982
Career killed before 24. A new record for the Rox.
TJS might be preferable to being a part of this Rockies team
The Rockies are discussing an extension with his agent today.
Aren’t we all chasing dollar
Reports are they intend to replace his production by filling his spot in the rotation with a BP pitching machine
@Oddball Hererra
Honestly, if the Rockies aren’t interested in winning games, I’d like them to have a fan contest to pitch for them. I know that would go against the players union but that’s just too bad for them.
Congrats to the Rockies, by going 8-42 they have the major
League record for worst reincorporated in 50 games EVER, even the Cleveland Spiders in 1899 were 9-41.
Credit for this must be given where it is due, Dick Monfort. It is not Bud Black or Hensley Meulens fault, but squarely on the man who wisely spent his money on Kris Bryant.
The Bryant deal obviously has not worked out, but even the most pessimistic fan could not have seen it working out this poorly. I’d rather the owner spend money and have it not work like with Bryant and Ian Desmond than be like the Pirates or Rays and constantly trade everyone while not spending money at all.
And this team is so bad that you cannot place the blame on a single decision, no matter how bad it was. The biggest problem for this team is striking out WAY too much. Baseball, and Coors Field especially, rewards putting the ball in play. It made me ill to watch 3 straight batters strike out looking in the ninth inning with the tying run on base.
Kris Bryant alone isn’t responsible for Rockies’ failure. How about the fact that they don’t have a single good pitcher on their team? Dollander might be the closest to something good but they haven’t spent their money where they should. They don’t seem to care, either.
Reports are they intend to replace the psychic joy and cosmic delight for girls and boys and cats and dogs across the greater metropolitan Rocky Mountain area anticipated from a glorious summer of competitive sporting activity by filling his spot in the rotation with a bouncy house
Wow that was fast.
@Uncle, you know more about pitching mechanics than I do. Is the problem how hard they throw the fastball, or is the problem how correspondingly hard they throw the slider or sweeper? Or something else?
It’s obviously never been proven one way or another. Mike Marshall wrote the bible on it years ago but nobody listens. Maybe the human arm isn’t meant to throw a baseball 100 MPH? Maybe they throw too many sliders? The split finger has been blamed also right? Thing is every pitcher has to learn his own body IMO. It talks to you if you listen. Palencia is a great example. Throwing 100 is cool but 100 in the dugout serves no purpose. 97 over the plate beats 100 in the dugout. I personally think they should throw more change ups because it’s a better pitch and probably easier on the arm but it’s just my opinion. Like I said 100 is cool but 100 and miss 2 years is that cool? Again just my opinion.
The only thing you’re missing is the emphasis on velo plus spinrates. 96 with spin is sometimes better than 100 flat.
I mean every wants to blame the “Sweeper” Like it’s a new pitch. Heck in Pony League when I was 13 in 1968 I was throwing a sweeper. It’s just a fastball with a different grip than a fastball. Heck I bet Cy Young freakin threw a sweeper for all we know. I threw a split finger too technically although we called it a forkball. There’s only so many ways to hold a baseball to make it do stuff and believe me they’ve all been tried.You just have to find one that works for you.
And they are playing baseball year round as kids trying to throw to hard with to many breaking pitches before the body is developed.
Yeah I’ve heard that argument for years too but Marshall kind of dismissed it in his book. I really think they need to reprint that book. It was pretty insightful. Marshall managed to pitch 100 games a year for a spell and he was a professor I believe. A lot of what he said made perfect sense although I’ve forgotten most it by now.
Unclemike- change up thrown correctly is the same arm speed as a fastball, though.
Mike knows more about hurling Hungry man mealettes into microwave than you do.
I hate Hungry Man.
Swanson? Lean Cuisine?
Stouffers and Marie Callender.
One theory I heard that makes sense is that it is easier for the human body to grow muscle than cartilage and tendons, etc. If I cranked up my workouts a little, I can increase my bench press 50%, but might not have much impact on the joints. So it’s like adding a bigger engine to your car, but not replacing the transmission, etc.
It just gets worse and worse for Colorado. This kid was still finding his footing but his last two outings were encouraging and he looked like one of the best pitching prospects in the game.
Will this team lose 130 games? It’s hard to believe such a thing might be possible but that’s the kind of pace they are on nearly a third of the way through the season.
The chickens have come home to roost in 2025. What we see on the field fully reflects the organizational dysfunction from top to bottom. They haven’t just embraced mediocrity, they’re redefining it.
Semantically speaking, what they are is much worse than mediocre–which denotatively means “middling.” (Though the connotations of “mediocre” certainly have changed for worse in recent times.)
“Forearm tightness”
Thats how it always starts…
I am genuinely surprised he doesn’t have a hyphenate last name of “Thaht-Dollander” or “Thalmitey-Dollander” or something.
It’s pronounced DOUGH land er, not DOLL and er.
Might as well pronounce it Sure-Ger-ee now.
I’m surprised you haven’t told him to retire.
Retroactive placement is odd – like they are hoping to have him back in the minimum possible time?
You never know so why not
Sigh. Can we just end the season now? As much as the 1994 strike hurt me, I’d be okay if they did it again this year.
No way. They have to get everyone else’s stats inflated for the year.
the comeback on opening day 2027 will be legendary
The Rockies already getting blows for next season as well
Future blows that sux
Too many fastballs. Best to throw lots of curveballs and sliders to keep your arm fresh.
The Rockies couldn’t catch a break
Or baseballs from what I read.
This is what happens when you have an owner that’s under the impression he’s the president of baseball operations as well.
I empathize with Rockies fans. But this isn’t getting better until Monfort realizes he’s better off leaving the baseball to the baseball people. They’ll spend money. But historically it’s been poorly.
Larry Walker is certainly the best FA signing they’ve had — by a lot. I can’t recall who #2 would be though. To be fair, FA is an obnoxious crap shoot. And expensive when you’re wrong.
They need to draft and develop better as well. Admittedly probably harder to do at altitude. But that’s not changing. They probably would benefit for figuring it out as much as possible.
Uh, Mike Hampton was a decent pitcher for the Rockies but I may be confusing his time with the Astros. Andres Gallaraga, maybe? I’m drawing a blank on good free agents signed by the Rockies…
Homegrown talent, there’s a few that were really good.
Story
Tulo
Arenado
Vinny Castilla?
Kyle Freeland was good early on…
Blackmon
Todd Helton
Matt Holliday
Cargo
Acoss- I only remember Hampton being injured there but I could be off. Memory isn’t what it used to be.
Who are the baseball people?
How can teams like the Rockies and Pirates pick in the top 10 of the draft almost every season still suck year after year after year?
Genes? Just throwing it out there.
EXACTLY!! I keep asking myself this question while observing Tampa, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Oakland among others.
I hope this kid is okay. He pitched a great game against us. Shows a lot of potential.