- The Rockies have reinstated Robert Stephenson from the paternity list and optioned Ben Bowden to Triple-A, per the team. The 26-year-old Bowden has a 6.56 ERA/4.84 FIP in 35 2/3 innings. Stephenson has been a productive member of the Rockies’ bullpen, tossing 38 1/3 innings with a 3.76 ERA/4.02 FIP.
Rockies Rumors
Rockies Activate Jon Gray, Promote Colton Welker
The Rockies announced Wednesday that they’ve reinstated right-hander Jon Gray from the 10-day injured list and called up infielder Colton Welker for his Major League debut. Righty Antonio Santos was also recalled to the MLB roster. In a trio of corresponding moves, the Rox put right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez on the 10-day injured list with a strained oblique, placed righty Robert Stephenson on the paternity list and optioned infielder Joshua Fuentes to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Gray returns to the club after a minimal stay on the injured list due to inflammation in his right forearm. It was a somewhat ominous diagnosis at the time, given the pronounced struggles Gray endured in the month of August, but a swift return is good news both for the club and for Gray as he nears his first foray into the free-agent market.
To this point in the season, Gray has posted a 4.13 ERA with a 23.1 percent strikeout rate, a 9.8 percent walk rate and a 49.9 percent ground-ball rate in 126 1/3 innings of work. Those solid numbers come in spite of a disastrous month of August, wherein Gray yielded a 6.55 ERA in 22 innings and lasted fewer than five innings in three of his five appearances.
Both Gray and the Rockies have made their mutual interest in some kind of extension known, though the recent injury hiccup could have some impact on the potential for a deal. At the very least, the Rockies likely want to see how Gray responds to 10 days of downtime before determining how to proceed. They reportedly intend to issue a qualifying offer to Gray, but it’s also possible the two sides work out a mutli-year deal at a lesser rate. Gray, of course, could also see what the market has to bear from other clubs upon receiving a QO from the Rockies. Players have 10 days to accept or reject their QOs, and they’re free to talk to other clubs during that time.
Turning to Welker, the 2016 fourth-rounder is getting his first look at the big league level. He’s long been ranked among the better prospects in a generally thin Rockies system, currently sitting eighth among their farmhands at FanGraphs, 20th at MLB.com and 23rd at Baseball America.
Welker has been limited to just 23 games and 93 plate appearances at the Triple-A level in 2021. He’s spent much of the year on the restricted list due to an 80-game suspension issued in May upon testing positive for a banned substance (dehydrochlormethyltestosterone). He’s one of several players to have pushed back against suspensions for trace amounts of the DHCMT long-term metabolite — picograms, in most cases — though to this point all suspensions under such circumstances have seemingly been upheld. (The Wall Street Journal’s Jared Diamond took an in-depth look at the situation last August.)
In his limited sample of work this season, Welker has been productive. He’s slashed .286/.378/.476 with three homers, five doubles, a triple and a 12.4 percent walk rate against a 20.7 percent strikeout rate. He’s spent all of his time at third base, though some scouting reports on Welker feel his range (or lack thereof) will eventually push him to first base. The Rockies don’t currently have a clear long-term answer at either corner infield position, so Welker seems likely to get a chance to prove he’s capable of seizing one of those two spots.
Rockies Place Austin Gomber, Connor Joe On 10-Day Injured List
Sep. 5: As expected, the Rockies have indeed moved Gomber to the 60-day IL in order to select Feltner, per a team announcement. Right-hander Antonio Santos was optioned to make room for Feltner on the active roster.
Sep. 4: The Rockies announced a series of roster moves today, including the placement of left-hander Austin Gomber and first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe on the 10-day injured list. According to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding, Gomber will be moved to the 60-day IL tomorrow when the Rockies select the contract of right-hander Ryan Feltner from Double-A, as Feltner will make his MLB debut by taking Gomber’s spot as the scheduled starter against the Braves.
Right-hander Jordan Sheffield has been activated off the 60-day IL, making his return after first hitting the IL on June 5 due to a right lat strain. In addition, infielder Joshua Fuentes has been called up from Triple-A.
Gomber is suffering from spondylolysis, or a stress fracture in his lower back (also known as pars defect). The 60-day IL placement will end Gomber’s first Colorado season on a painful note, though he did make a solid accounting of himself in his first full season as a starter.
Acquired from the Cardinals as part of the Nolan Arenado trade, Gomber provided some silver lining for disgruntled Rockies fans by posting a 4.53 ERA/4.28 ERA over 115 1/3 innings. Gomber missed a month due to forearm tightness, and it’s fair to speculate that Gomber’s back problems may have impacted his recent performance, as the southpaw has a 8.50 ERA over his last four starts and 18 innings. Looking at the Statcast numbers, Gomber’s strikeout and walk rate are roughly middle-of-the-road, though he has been good at limiting hard contact.
Joe left Friday’s game due to his injury, which has now been termed as a right hamstring strain. As manager Bud Black told reporters (including The Athletic’s Nick Groke), “it’s not a definite season-ending injury,” so Joe could potentially see some more action in 2021 if his hamstring cooperates. Signed to a minor league contract last winter, Joe has hit well over 211 plate appearances with the Rockies, batting .285/.379/.469 with eight home runs.
Feltner was Colorado’s fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft, and the Ohio State product will make the jump to the majors without the benefit of any Triple-A experience. In 110 combined innings at high-A and Double-A ball this season, Feltner has a 2.62 ERA and 27.53% strikeout rate over 20 starts. The big league promotion is a nice late birthday present for Feltner, who turned 25 last Thursday.
Red Sox Add Taylor Motter, Option Connor Wong
The Red Sox have added Taylor Motter to the active roster, optioning Connor Wong to Triple-A, per the team. Motter was only recently claimed off waivers from the Rockies.
Motter played in 13 games with the Rockies, slashing .150/.227/.150 in 22 plate appearances. The 31-year-old utility man can play all over the diamond, which will be particularly helpful for a Boston team with nine players on the COVID-related injured list. In his career, Motter has bounced around, suiting up for the Rays, Mariners, Twins, and Rockies, as well as a short stint in the KBO.
Wong, 25, has appeared in just six games, but he’s had success in the early going. Wong has four hits in 14 plate appearances, including a double, triple, and a walk. He has also struck out seven times, however.
Rockies Outright Jose Mujica
The Rockies announced they passed José Mujica through outright waivers this afternoon. Colorado hadn’t previously announced that Mujica had been designated for assignment, so the move creates a vacancy on the 40-man roster.
Colorado signed Mujica to a major league contract over the 2019-20 offseason. The right-hander had spent seven seasons in the Rays’ organization but never made it to the majors and elected minor league free agency. Mujica has been on the Rockies’ 40-man roster over the two years since, but he’s barely pitched in the big leagues. He made his MLB debut last season, allowing seven runs (six earned) over 4 2/3 innings.
Mujica has spent the entirety of this season with Triple-A Albuquerque, where he’s had a difficult season. The 25-year-old has an 8.68 ERA over 74 2/3 innings with the Isotopes. Mujica has been tagged for twenty home runs in that extremely hitter-friendly environment, and he’s punched out a below-average 19% of opposing hitters.
Because Mujica has previously been outrighted in his career, he has the right to elect free agency. The team didn’t indicate whether he planned to do so. If he accepts the assignment, Mujica will qualify for minor league free agency this winter if not selected back onto the 40-man roster before the end of the season.
Red Sox Claim Taylor Motter
The Red Sox have claimed infielder Taylor Motter off waivers from the Rockies, per a club announcement. Colorado designated Motter for assignment earlier in the week.
Motter, 31, only got a brief look with the Rockies before being designated for assignment, going 3-for-20 in 13 games upon having his contract selected from Triple-A Albuquerque. The well-traveled, journeyman utility player had been enjoying a monster season in Albuquerque, where he’d batted .335/.460/.759 with 24 home runs, 16 doubles and a triple in just 265 plate appearances. That type of pop has never previously been there for Motter, who entered the year with 44 career Triple-A home runs through 1410 plate appearances.
The Red Sox will be the fifth big league team for Motter, a career .189/.261/.304 hitter in parts of four seasons between the Rays, Mariners, Twins and Rockies. Motter has spent the bulk of time at second base and third base in 2021, but he has at least 300 professional innings at every position other than catcher and pitcher.
With the Red Sox currently being overrun by a Covid-19 outbreak that has sent eight players to the Covid-19-related injured list, there’s ample room for them to plug Motter directly onto the MLB roster. Boston is currently without Xander Bogaerts, Enrique Hernandez, Christian Arroyo and Yairo Munoz, so adding an infielder who can play multiple positions and was enjoying a hugely productive Triple-A season is eminently logical. Whether Motter can stick on the club once the Sox get back to full strength (or close to it) will be dependent on his performance in the days to come. He’d be ineligible for the postseason roster, should the Red Sox hang onto a spot, by virtue of the fact that he was acquired after Aug. 31.
Rockies Place Jon Gray On Injured List, Select Julian Fernandez
The Rockies announced Wednesday that they’ve placed right-hander Jon Gray on the 10-day injured list due to tightness in his right forearm. Colorado also selected the contract of right-hander Julian Fernandez and recalled righties Antonio Santos and Justin Lawrence from Triple-A Albuquerque as rosters expand to 28 players.
Forearm tightness is ominous for any pitcher and is particularly alarming given the manner in which Gray’s performance has dropped in recent weeks. A bright spot in the Rockies’ rotation for much of the season, Gray has compiled just 22 innings in his past five appearances and been rocked for a 6.55 earned run average in that time. There’s been no drop in his velocity, but the results alone are enough for concern when combined with an injury.
Gray is a free agent at season’s end, which prompted broad-reaching expectations that the Rockies would move him at the trade deadline. That didn’t happen, however, and the Rockies have voiced hope that they can keep Gray beyond the current season. The interest is mutual, as Gray has said he enjoys playing in Denver and would welcome a contract extension. The Rockies are currently expected to issue Gray a qualifying offer, which would be for one year in the $18-19MM range, but any arm injury of note could impact both the potential for a QO and the potential for a long-term deal.
Fernandez, 25, will be making his Major League debut when he first pitches in a game. The righty was originally signed by the Rockies out of the Dominican Republic and has had a rather unusual journey to the big leagues. The Rockies lost Fernandez to the division-rival Giants in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft, but he suffered a ligament injury in his pitching elbow that spring and required Tommy John surgery. The Giants carried him all through that 2018 season but removed him from the roster in November 2018 — at which point the Marlins claimed Fernandez. He spent much of the 2019 season continuing his rehab before suffering a setback that shut him down. Miami returned him to the Rockies in October 2019, nearly two years after he’d been selected in the Rule 5 Draft.
Because of those injuries and the lack of a minor league season in 2020, the 2021 campaign marks the first time since 2017 that Fernandez has pitched in an actual game. Finally healthy, the right-hander had a nice showing in Double-A before an even more impressive run in a hitter-friendly Triple-A setting. He’s pitched to a combined 2.53 ERA in 42 2/3 innings this season, including a sterling 0.64 mark in Triple-A, where he’s fanned a third of his opponents against just a 7.4 percent walk rate.
Dodgers Made C.J. Cron A Contract Offer Last Winter
- The Dodgers made C.J. Cron a contract offer last winter, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter). The exact nature of the offer isn’t known, but Cron instead opted to take a minors deal with the Rockies that ended up paying him $1MM in guaranteed money once he was selected to the active roster. As noted by Nightengale, it was a “bet on himself” type of move from Cron that has worked out well, as the first baseman has hit .275/.379/.537 with 24 homers over 428 PA. This type of playing time would likely not have been available in Los Angeles, as Cron was able to fill Colorado’s need for an everyday first baseman. Cron will look to convert his big season into a nice free agent contract this winter and possibly some security after playing with five different teams over the last five seasons. Since the Rockies didn’t trade Cron at the deadline, one would imagine the club has some hopes of re-signing the veteran slugger.
Rockies Designate Taylor Motter For Assignment
The Rockies have designated infielder/outfielder Taylor Motter for assignment and reinstated outfielder Raimel Tapia from the 10-day injured list, tweets Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Colorado’s 40-man roster now sits at 38.
Motter was originally selected to the MLB roster — his first big league call in three years — a little less than three weeks ago when Tapia landed on the shelf. The 31-year-old has picked up 22 plate appearances in thirteen games since then, tallying three hits (all singles). That’s not the most inspiring production, but Motter earned the promotion with an incredible season at Triple-A Albuquerque. Motter tallied 265 plate appearances with the Isotopes and hit a monstrous .335/.460/.759. The right-handed hitter popped 24 home runs and had an equal number of walks drawn and strikeouts (49 apiece).
The Rockies will now place Motter on waivers over the coming days. Another club impressed by his minor league performance could place a claim to add some multi-positional depth to their bench. Motter has starts at all four infield positions and both corner outfield spots in the majors, so he’s capable of suiting up almost anywhere he’s needed. If Motter clears waivers, he’d have the right to elect free agency as a player who has previously been outrighted in his career.
West Injury Notes: Paddack, Gray, Ibanez, Ohtani, Astros
Padres starter Chris Paddack appears to be ready to come off the IL to start Monday’s game in Arizona, according to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Acee says that Padres manager Jayce Tingler didn’t confirm the plan, but then later listed Paddack as Monday’s starter on Twitter.
For Paddack, his third big league season has been a disappointing one, logging an ERA of 5.13 over 93 innings. That’s a spike from last year’s 4.73 and his 3.33 mark from 2019. His strikeout rate has also gone in the wrong direction. After a solid 26.9% rate in his debut season, it dropped to 23.7% last year and sits at 22.5% so far this year. However, his walk rate has stuck around 5% in every season, which is excellent. (MLB average is 8.7% this year.)
Despite those struggles, the team has certainly missed Paddack. Since the righty went on the shelf July 31st with an oblique issue, the team has been on a disastrous slide. They’ve gone 9-15 so far in the month of August, surrendering the final National League playoff spot to Cincinnati. During that time, the rotation was missing not only Paddack, but also Yu Darvish. They tried to patch over those absences with the addition of Jake Arrieta, only to see him land on the IL himself after just one start of 3 1/3 innings. With Darvish having already returned and Paddack on the way, that could allow the team to steady the ship and finish strong, as they try to retake the Reds over the season’s final weeks.
Other notes from the west…
- Rockies starter Jon Gray left last night’s start after 48 pitches. Manager Bud Black told reporters, including Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, that the move was precautionary and related to some forearm tightness. Nick Groke of The Athletic gets a bit more granular, explaining that the injured area appears to be away from the ulnar collateral ligament, hopefully negating the worst fears of Rockies fans. Though the extent of the injury remains to be seen, it makes sense for the club to be cautious, as they are 11 games out of a playoff spot. Gray is a free agent at year’s end, but the Rockies are reportedly hoping to sign him to an extension. They will also have to decide on whether or not to issue him a qualifying offer at the end of the season. Gray would surely warrant the offer if he’s healthy. Over 806 2/3 career innings, Gray has an ERA of 4.52 while pitching primarily in the most hitter-friendly ballpark in the league, producing 15.7 fWAR.
- Rangers infielder Andy Ibanez left last night’s game with left hamstring tightness, per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. She quotes Rangers manager Chris Woodward as being “not optimistic” about the injury. Regardless of the eventual severity of the injury, the club has every reason to be cautious, as they have one of the worst records in the league and no shot at contending. If this is the end of the season for Ibanez, it will go down as a solid rookie campaign for the 28-year-old. He’s hit .260/.304/.415, wRC+ of 96, while splitting time between first, second and third base, as well as one game in left field.
- Shohei Ohtani was hit on the hand by a pitch in last night’s game, while serving as the designated hitter. However, he stuck around for the remainder of the contest and x-rays on the hand came back negative. Angels manager Jeff Madden told reporters, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, that Ohtani should be fine to make his scheduled start on Tuesday. That is good news for the club and baseball fans in general, as Ohtani is having the most unique and fascinating season that baseball has seen in quite some time, if not ever. He’s currently the MLB home run leader with 41, and has an overall slash line of .264/.363/.623, producing a wRC+ of 160 which is currently bested by only two other qualified hitters. (Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bryce Harper) All of that is combined with Ohtani’s 105 innings in the Angels’ starting rotation with an ERA of 3.00.
- The Astros could be getting a couple of players back this week. Jose Urquidy is pitching in a rehab game tonight, which could be his last before returning, according to Jake Kaplan of The Athletic. Urquidy has only been able to make 14 starts this season because of injuries but has been excellent when healthy, putting up an ERA of 3.38. It’s unclear who would be bumped from the rotation in his absence, but some have speculated that Luis Garcia could be an option. Garcia has already set a career high in innings pitched this year and has seen his results slip a bit recently. Since July 26th, he has an ERA of 4.22. The club has already moved another young starter, Cristian Javier, to the bullpen as a way to manage his workload. The Astros could also be welcoming Chas McCormick back later this week. General manager James Click told various reporters, including Mark Berman of Fox 26, that the outfielder could be back as soon as Friday. The club hasn’t suffered much in McCormick’s absence, given that Jake Meyers has been manning center field and has been on a tear. Since having his contract selected last month, in the first 20 games of his career, Meyers is slashing .323/.348/.523.
