Rockies Rumors

Rockies Reinstate Ryan Feltner From 60-Day IL, Outright Sam Hilliard

By Leo Morgenstern | July 4, 2025 at 4:09pm CDT

The Rockies announced a pair of transactions today. They reinstated Ryan Feltner from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A, and they sent outfielder Sam Hilliard outright to Triple-A Albuquerque. The team already had an open spot for Feltner on the 40-man after designating Hilliard for assignment earlier in the week, so no corresponding move was necessary.

It is somewhat surprising news that Feltner has been optioned, considering he has made Colorado’s Opening Day rotation in each of the past three years and has not pitched in the minors for any reason other than a rehab assignment since July 2022. In fact, he was the team’s most effective starting pitcher just last season (4.49 ERA, 4.31 SIERA in 30 starts), and he looked much the same over his first six starts in 2025, pitching to a 4.75 ERA and 4.49 SIERA through the end of April. However, this seems to be less of a demotion and more of a continued rehab assignment for Feltner. He has been on the IL since May due to back spasms, and he did not look particularly sharp in any of his three rehab outings with the Isotopes.

With the way that rookie Chase Dollander has struggled this season, especially as of late, Feltner won’t be blocked if he proves he’s ready to return to the majors. At the same time, the 20-67 Rockies have little incentive to rush him back before then. Hopefully for Felter, a few more outings at Triple-A are all he needs to rein in his control and get back to being the pitcher he was before his injury.

As for Hilliard, he has the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, but not without sacrificing the remainder of his guaranteed salary for 2025. Thus, it seems likely he will accept the assignment, just as he did the last time the Rockies DFA’d and outrighted him this season. Presumably, he will return to Albuquerque and continue to serve as speedy, lefty-batting outfield depth for the organization.

Yankees Have Shown Interest In Ryan McMahon

By Steve Adams | July 3, 2025 at 3:27pm CDT

As the Yankees search for infield upgrades to address their need for either a second baseman or third baseman — Jazz Chisholm Jr. can play either spot — they’ve reached out to the Rockies regarding the potential availability of Ryan McMahon, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. While the Rockies have been unwilling to entertain offers for McMahon in the past, Heyman suggests that they’re willing to listen this time around as they barrel toward a potentially historic loss total in 2025. He adds that New York has yet to contact the D-backs about Eugenio Suarez, though that has more to do with Arizona being within arm’s reach of a Wild Card spot (three games back) than a lack of interest.

McMahon would bring a major upgrade to a Yankees infield that has felt one player short all season. Chisholm has split his time almost evenly between second base (251 innings) and third base (214 innings), performing well with the bat at both spots. He’s hitting .240/.339/.490 on the season and has swatted 14 homers to go along with 10 steals. His 28.2% strikeout rate is up nearly four percentage points over his 2024 levels, but Chisholm’s 11.5% walk rate is far and away a career-high mark.

Chisholm told The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner earlier this week that he knows he’s a better defender at second base and that he’d prefer to be playing there if all else were equal, but he’s happy to do “whatever it takes to help the team win.” A trade for McMahon (or another third baseman) could kill two birds with one stone: solidify the hot corner and get Chisholm back to the position at which he’s most comfortable and best-suited to play.

Earlier this year, it looked as though the Rockies may have missed the boat on trading McMahon. He drew considerable interest in the weeks and months leading into last summer’s trade deadline, but McMahon is reportedly a favorite of Rox owner Dick Monfort, who wasn’t keen on shipping out an All-Star infielder who’s signed affordably through 2027. McMahon wound up falling into a deep slump over the season’s final two months and started the 2025 campaign with the least-productive month of his big league tenure. He entered the month of May hitting just .147/.273/.235 with a sky-high 35.5% strikeout rate.

McMahon homered on May 1, however, and it’s been business as usual for him since. He’s largely back into All-Star form, hitting at a .253/.343/.468 clip with 10 homers, nine doubles and a triple in his past 216 turns at the plate. It should be noted that he’s currently in a bit of a cold spell, with just two hits and 11 strikeouts in his past 23 plate appearances, but nothing so drastic or prolonged as his swoon from August through April (.179/.272/.275, 320 plate appearances). He’s still hitting only .216/.318/.387 on the season because of that disastrous first month, but the trend lines in May and most of June were quite favorable.

On top of his resurgent bat, McMahon has maintained his status as a premium defensive player. Both Defensive Runs Saved (3) and Statcast’s Outs Above Average (3) grade him as a positive in 2025. He’s not on quite the same pace as he was in 4434 innings from 2021-24 (50 DRS, 38 OAA), but McMahon is an unequivocal plus defender at the hot corner who also has ample experience and strong defensive grades at second base.

McMahon’s contract is surely appealing to the Yankees as well. He’s not necessarily a raucous bargain, but the former No. 42 overall draft pick is being paid $12MM this season and is owed $16MM in both 2026 and 2027. The Yankees would pay a 110% tax on his contract’s annual value, given their status as a third-time offender in the top tier of luxury penalization, but McMahon’s six-year, $70MM extension is still well shy of the market rate for a plus defensive third baseman with 25-homer pop.

Heyman also suggests that Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes is at least “on the Yankees’ radar” as a change of scenery candidate, though he’d be a pure project. Hayes is an elite defender whose offensive output has cratered after recurring back troubles have popped up in recent years. He’s playing out an eight-year, $70MM contract signed with Pittsburgh prior to those back troubles surfacing. The Pirates owe him a $7MM salary this season and are on the hook for an additional $36MM over the contract’s final four guaranteed seasons (2026-29).

Hayes is hitting well over the past three weeks (.324/.342/.405 in 76 plate appearances), but it’d be a pretty big leap of faith to expect that to continue, considering the 28-year-old’s composite .239/.289/.297 slash in 714 plate appearances dating back to Opening Day 2024. Still, given the strength of his glove, his above-average speed and solid contact skills, Hayes at least makes sense for infield-needy clubs to track as a long-shot trade candidate.

Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

By Darragh McDonald | July 2, 2025 at 3:40pm CDT

Kevin Pillar is hanging up his Superman cape. On an appearance on Foul Territory, he announced that he is retiring from playing. He was with the Rangers earlier this year but was released about a month ago.

Pillar, now 36, was able to engineer an incredible zero-to-hero career. The Blue Jays drafted him in the 32nd round of the 2011 draft. But despite that humble beginning, he would not only make it to the big leagues but he would stick around for more than a decade.

His best asset was his defense, as he quickly earned a reputation for making highlight-reel catches, often diving horizontally in a way that earned him his Superman nickname. He got some limited big league time in 2013 and 2014 before fully cementing himself as a big leaguer in 2015.

That year, he got into 159 games for the Jays, producing a batting line of .278/.314/.399. His 94 wRC+ indicated he was 6% below league average at the plate, but that was more than adequate to pair with his other attributes. He stole 25 bases and received strong grades for his glovework, leading FanGraphs to credit him with 3.7 wins above replacement. That played a big role in getting the Jays to the postseason for the first time since 1993. Though the club was eventually felled by the Royals in the ALCS, the Jays got José Bautista’s legendary bat flip game along the way.

That would ultimately prove to be an apex for Pillar. He never again stole more than 15 bases nor topped a 90 wRC+ in a full season. But he still proved to be a useful player in generally the same shape, with his speed and defense making up for some subpar offense. From 2016 to 2018, he got into 442 games for the Jays, slashing .258/.296/.401 for an 86 wRC+ and producing 4.5 fWAR.

By the time the 2019 season had rolled around, Pillar was 30 years old and the Jays were rebuilding. Early that year, he was flipped to the Giants, which started the journeyman period of his career. Over the next few years, he would bounce to the Red Sox, Rockies, Mets, Dodgers, Braves, White Sox, Angels and Rangers. Though he had moved into his 30s, his performance was roughly the same as before, though with his glovework naturally slipping a bit. Over those 2019-25 seasons, he played 544 games and hit .246/.284/.415 for an 85 wRC+ and produced 2.4 fWAR.

Most recently, he had a stint with the Rangers but hit just .209/.209/.256 in 20 games before getting designated for assignment and released. He had flirted with retirement before but now seems to have decided that it’s time to hang up the spikes.

Any 32nd-round pick making it to the big leagues is exceedingly rare. In fact, the draft was shortened to 20 rounds a few years ago, so it likely won’t happen again. Pillar not only made it, but he got into 1,234 games over 13 seasons. He racked up 1,053 hits, including 114 home runs. He was credited with 10.8 WAR from FanGraphs and 16.1 from Baseball Reference. He earned about $25MM in his career, according to Baseball Reference. We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Pillar on an impressive career and wish him the best with whatever comes next.

Rockies Designate Sam Hilliard For Assignment, Select Austin Nola

By Darragh McDonald | July 1, 2025 at 4:25pm CDT

The Rockies announced a series of roster moves today. They have recalled outfielder Yanquiel Fernández from Triple-A Albuquerque, a move that was previously reported, and also selected the contract of catcher Austin Nola. In corresponding moves, they have optioned backstop Braxton Fulford and designated outfielder Sam Hilliard for assignment.

Hilliard, 31, was added to Colorado’s roster just over a month ago. He has since been sent to the plate 61 times, with a huge 37.7% strikeout rate but also a strong 16.4% walk rate. The result is a lopsided line of .196/.328/.412.

He has occasionally shown promise as a big leaguer but often with his penchant for punchouts getting in the way. He now has 936 big league plate appearances over seven seasons with 44 home runs but a 34.3% strikeout rate. Since he’s out of options and the Rockies want to get a look at Fernández, Hilliard has been bumped off the 40-man roster.

Hilliard was also outrighted off the roster at the end of March. As a player with between three and five years of major league service time, he has the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, but has to forfeit his remaining salary in order to do so. He is making $1MM this year, so he accepted an outright assignment the last time he was sent through waivers. It’s possible the same sequence of events plays out in the coming days.

Nola, 35, signed a minor league deal with the Rockies in the offseason. He has spent a decent amount of this year on the minor league injured list but has been healthy for the past month or so. He has 116 minor league plate appearances this year with a strong .330/.397/.456 line, though most of that has been in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, so it only translates to a 107 wRC+.

That will seemingly be enough to Nola a shot at the backup catcher job. The Rockies released Jacob Stallings last month, with Hunter Goodman and Fulford left in charge of the catching duties. Fulford will now presumably get everyday playing time in Triple-A while Nola returns to the majors.

Nola has 345 big league games under his belt with a .249/.326/.370 line and 95 wRC+. That’s a solid mark for a catcher though his framing hasn’t received good marks from outlets like FanGraphs, Statcast or Baseball Prospectus. He is out of options and would therefore have to be removed from the 40-man roster if the Rockies decide to bump him from the active roster at any point.

Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images

Rockies Expected To Promote Yanquiel Fernandez

By Anthony Franco and Nick Deeds | June 30, 2025 at 4:21pm CDT

The Rockies are calling up outfield prospect Yanquiel Fernández, reports Francys Romero. Colorado is off tonight, so they’re unlikely to announce the move until tomorrow. Fernandez is on the 40-man roster, meaning the Rox will only need to make an active roster move.

Fernandez, 22, was signed by the Rockies out of Cuba and made his pro debut back in 2021. A consensus top-100 prospect prior to the 2024 season after breaking out to a .319/.354/.605 slash line at High-A the year prior, Fernandez posted solid numbers at Double-A throughout the majority of 2024 but struggled badly at Triple-A with a paltry .211/.268/.313 slash line in 33 games at the highest level of the minors

That poor performance was enough to knock him off the majority of league-wide prospect lists, but this year he’s turned things around in his second attempt at the level. Across 271 plate appearances, he’s hitting .284/.347/.502. That sounds like a robust figure, but given the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League it’s actually good for a rather pedestrian 96 wRC+. Still, Fernandez’s 14 doubles and 13 homers in 64 games this year is intriguing enough power potential that the Rockies are giving Fernandez a shot in the majors.

It remains to be seen which player Fernandez will be replacing on Colorado’s roster, but Jordan Beck, Tyler Freeman, Sam Hilliard, and Mickey Moniak are currently mixing and matching in the outfield corners while Brenton Doyle patrols center. Fernandez’s role as a left-handed corner bat is one that’s already held by both Moniak and Hilliard. Both have identical 95 wRC+ marks overall, though Hilliard’s performance is propped up by six extra-base hits in just 20 games despite him striking out at a 37.7% clip this season. Neither Moniak nor Hilliard have options remaining, so either one would either need to be placed on the injured list or designated for assignment if Fernandez is to replace them on the roster. Of course, it’s not impossible to imagine the club rostering all three with Freeman moving back to the infield or into a utility role.

Trade Deadline Outlook: Colorado Rockies

By Steve Adams | June 26, 2025 at 11:26pm CDT

MLBTR's team-by-team look at the upcoming trade deadline continues with a look at the Colorado Rockies, who are on pace to break the 2024 White Sox' modern-day record for losses in a single season. General manager Bill Schmidt's club is on pace for a staggering 37 wins this season -- a mark that 23 of the game's 29 other clubs have already reached as of late June. The Rockies are a clear seller -- or at least, they should be. The Rox typically march to the beat of their own drum, however, and owner Dick Monfort seems particularly averse to any large-scale sell-offs.

Still, given the Rockies' historic futility in 2025, the expectation is that they'll move some veteran pieces, while the fan base's hope might be for an uncharacteristically active deadline on the sell side of things.

Record: 18-62 (0% playoff odds, per FanGraphs)

Other series entries: Giants, Phillies, Pirates, Astros, Marlins

Sell Mode

Impending free agents: Germán Márquez, Thairo Estrada, Austin Gomber, Kyle Farmer, Orlando Arcia

Márquez has been a pillar for the Rockies' staff since coming over in a 2015-16 offseason trade that sent outfielder Corey Dickerson to the Rays. The Rox have resisted trading him in the past, twice signing him to extensions. He's now in his first full season post-Tommy John surgery, earning $10MM. There'll be about $3.17MM of that sum yet to be paid out of as of deadline day. Márquez got out to an awful start but has turned in a 3.21 ERA in 47 2/3 innings over his past nine starts (though that includes six unearned runs in his last start against the Dodgers). His 17.6% strikeout rate in that span is nowhere near peak levels, but his command has been good and he's averaging better than 95 mph on his heater. Plenty of teams would look at Marquez's velocity and track record of missing bats and think they could turn him around further.

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NL West Notes: Carroll, Glasnow, Garcia, Freeland, Black

By Mark Polishuk | June 22, 2025 at 11:00pm CDT

Corbin Carroll has missed the Diamondbacks’ last four games due to a sore left hand, after the outfielder was hit by a pitch in Wednesday’s 8-1 loss to the Blue Jays. X-rays were negative and manager Torey Lovullo indicated today that Carroll’s hand was improving to some extent, but the skipper told MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert and other media that Carroll would undergo an MRI as an extra precaution. “Just because it’s not progressing as quickly as we wanted it to, and because of what we’ve just gone through with [Gabriel Moreno] and several of the injuries that we’ve been taking on, we want to definitely get a baseline,” Lovullo said.

In Moreno’s case, what apparently seemed like a minor hand injury ended up leading to a much longer expected absence, as a second MRI revealed a hairline fracture in the catcher’s right index figure. Such an outcome for Carroll would be devastating, as the young star has bounced back from a fairly ordinary 2024 campaign to hit .255/.341/.573 with 20 home runs in his first 323 plate appearances of 2025. Only 12 players in baseball have a higher wRC+ than Carroll’s 148, so naturally even losing him for a few days has been a hit to Arizona’s lineup. Losing Carroll to a more serious hand issue might well change the trajectory of the Diamondbacks’ season, as it would make it even harder for the Snakes to make up ground in both the crowded NL West or in the NL wild card picture.

Rockies Outright Keston Hiura

By Darragh McDonald | June 19, 2025 at 10:23pm CDT

June 19: Hiura cleared waivers and was outrighted back to Triple-A, according to the MLB.com transaction log. It’s not clear if he’ll elect free agency.

June 16: The Rockies announced that first baseman Michael Toglia has been recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque. Infielder Keston Hiura has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move. The club’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.

This is the reversal of a transaction from a few weeks back. On May 31st, Toglia was optioned to Albuquerque, with Hiura selected to the roster to take his place. Toglia had a nice season in 2024 but got out to an awful start in 2025.

Last year, he hit 25 home runs in just 116 games and took over as the clubs’ regular first baseman. His 32.1% strikeout rate was high and his batting average was low, but he drew walks at an 11.8% clip. His .218/.311/.456 line actually translated to a subpar 98 wRC+, thanks to the hitter-friendly nature of Coors Field, but that still made him one of the better hitters on a bad team.

This year, prior to being sent down, his walk rate fell to 8.7% and his strikeout rate climbed even higher to 39.1%. He currently has a .194/.266/.349 slash and a 55 wRC+. Since getting optioned, he has played 11 Triple-A games, with numbers in line with his 2024 season. He hit three home runs with an 11.8% walk rate and 29.4% strikeout rate for a .273/.353/.568 line and 112 wRC+.

Hiura, 28, got a small amount of big league playing time and didn’t do much with it. He got 21 plate appearances over eight games. He did not draw a walk but struck out seven times. He knocked four hits, including one double. It all added up to a .222/.333/.278 line and 71 wRC+.

Presumably, Toglia will now be retaking the regular first base job after this brief reset. In his absence, Hiura got a decent chunk of the time there, with utility players like Orlando Arcia and Kyle Farmer also chipping in.

Hiura now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Rockies can technically take five days to explore trades. There’s not likely to be a ton of interest. Hiura was performing well enough in the minors prior to coming up but it’s been the case for years now that he shows pop in the minors and then strikes out too much in the majors. He now has 1,105 big league plate appearances with 50 home runs but a massive 35.9% strikeout rate.

He exhausted his final option year with the Brewers in 2022, which pushed him into journeyman status. Over the past few years, he has repeatedly cleared waivers and signed minor league deals with clubs like the Tigers, Angels and Rockies, occasionally getting brief looks in the majors. If he clears waivers again, he’ll have the choice of electing free agency or reporting back to Albuquerque.

Photo courtesy of Rhona Wise, Imagn Images

Rockies Place Kyle Freeland On 15-Day Injured List

By Mark Polishuk | June 15, 2025 at 11:43am CDT

The Rockies announced that southpaw Kyle Freeland has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to June 12) due to lower back stiffness. Left-hander Carson Palmquist was just optioned to Triple-A three days ago, but he’ll now be recalled back to Colorado’s active roster and will start Monday’s game against the Nationals.

Freeland has a 5.13 ERA over 14 starts and 73 2/3 innings this season, with a subpar 17.4% strikeout rate but an outstanding 4.6% walk rate. That latter number is on pace to be the best walk rate within a career of solid control for Freeland, and a 3.99 SIERA reflects the 58.4% strand rate and .362 BABIP that has inflated his real-world ERA. Playing for the woeful Rockies also hasn’t helped Freeland’s fortunes, as his average run support of 3.05 runs per nine innings is among the lowest in baseball.

There isn’t any indication that his back issue is particularly serious, though he’ll get at least a couple of weeks to recover before returning to Colorado’s rotation. Now in his ninth season with the Rox, Freeland probably doesn’t hold much value as a potential trade candidate at the deadline, given his middling numbers, lack of strikeouts, and pricey contract. The left-hander is earning the remainder of a $16MM salary in 2025 and is owed another $16MM in 2026, which is the final guaranteed year of the five-year, $64.5MM extension Freeland signed with the Rockies back in April 2022. The deal has a $17MM vesting player option for 2027 that will trigger if Freeland tosses 170 innings in 2026, and while he has only topped the 170-IP threshold twice in his career, that stands as another reason rival clubs may be wary of inquiring about a deadline deal.

Rockies Activate Austin Gomber

By Steve Adams | June 15, 2025 at 9:52am CDT

TODAY: Colorado officially activated Gomber from the 60-day IL. In corresponding moves, right-hander Zach Agnos was optioned to Triple-A, and Ryan Feltner was moved from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL. Feltner was initially placed on the injured list on April 29 due to back spasms, and since he wasn’t expected back until late June anyway, the shift to the 60-day IL only formalizes that timeline.

JUNE 12: The Rockies will reinstate lefty Austin Gomber from the 60-day injured list this weekend, reports Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. He’ll start Sunday’s game in Atlanta, where he’ll take on reigning Cy Young winner Chris Sale. The Rox announced that Carson Palmquist, who’d been in line to start that game, was optioned to Triple-A today. Righty Anthony Molina was recalled from Triple-A, adding another arm to the ’pen in the meantime. Colorado will need to make a 40-man roster move to reinstate Gomber prior to Sunday’s start.

Gomber, 31, will make his season debut when he takes the mound Sunday. He’s been out all year due to a left shoulder injury but has looked sharp in four Triple-A rehab starts, tossing a dozen innings with three runs allowed on six hits and five walks. He’s fanned 13 of 48 opponents along the way.

In 2024, Gomber tossed a career-high 165 innings over the course of 30 starts, working to a 4.75 ERA. His 16.7% strikeout rate was well shy of the 22% league average, but his 5.5% walk rate was quite strong. Gomber struggled with home runs, as one would expect for a fly-ball pitcher who’s prone to hard contact and plays his home games at Coors Field; he yielded an average of nearly two homers per nine frames at home and a total of 1.64 HR/9 on the season overall.

It’s a fifth starter’s profile, but the pitching-starved Rockies valued his durability and tendered Gomber a contract that pays him $6.35MM in his final year of club control. He’ll be a free agent at season’s end and, if he can get out to a decent start to his 2025 campaign, could end up as a trade chip for the Rox ahead of next month’s deadline as well. Colorado traditionally tends to avoid trading away too many veterans even in non-contending seasons, but at 12-55 with a -202 run differential, there are no delusions of a second-half run. Shipping out Gomber won’t bring much of a return, prospect-wise, but at the very least they’d trim some payroll and add some depth to the minor league ranks.

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