Rockies Select Jake Bird, Designate Julian Fernandez
The Rockies announced a trio of roster moves before the second game of their doubleheader with the Padres today, including the news that right-hander Julian Fernandez has been designated for assignment. Right-hander Jake Bird had his contract selected from Triple-A to fill the 40-man roster spot, while infielder Elehuris Montero was also optioned to the minors to create space for Bird on the active roster.
With this slate of transactions, the Rox get a fresh arm added to their bullpen for the second game, and Bird is now on the verge of his MLB debut. Colorado selected Bird in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, and the UCLA product has a 2.77 ERA, 8.5% walk rate, and 32.1% strikeout rate over 26 innings for Triple-A Albuquerque this season. That strikeout rate is notably higher than his totals in any of his previous three pro seasons, which could relate to Bird’s transition to a full-time relief role — he started a handful of games in both 2019 and 2021.
Fernandez has had a much rougher year with the Isotopes, posting a 9.47 ERA and allowing eight home runs over only 19 innings. The hard-throwing righty is known for his ability to hit the triple-digit threshold with his fastball, but Fernandez just had to get re-accustomed to pitching after missing all the 2018-20 seasons — the first two years due to Tommy John surgery and rehab, and then the canceled 2020 minor league season. In 2021, Fernandez finally made it back and threw 42 2/3 minor league innings, plus he made his Major League debut with six games for the Rockies.
Injury Notes: Padres, Rangers, Rockies
The Padres placed Mike Clevinger and Adrian Morejon on the COVID injured list, recalling Ray Kerr and Reiss Knehr from Triple-A, per the team. Kerr, 27, will give the Friars a third southpaw out of the bullpen behind closer Taylor Rogers and Tim Hill. Though Clevinger has been starting, Knehr, 25 will probably pitch in relief for now. Knehr has been tagged with a 5.84 ERA across 51 2/3 innings in Triple-A so far this season while making 10 starts and appearing twice in relief. The Padres rotation currently goes six deep, even with Clevinger out. Brent Rooker was also added to the active roster to serve as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader.
- Rangers outfielder Steele Walker was placed on the COVID injured list, per the team. Zach Reks has been placed on the active roster to take his place. This will be Reks’ third go-round with the Rangers already this summer, though he’s been limited to just 22 plate appearances over nine games. Reks has torn it up for Round Rock, however, slashing .340/.433/.631 in 120 Triple-A plate appearances. Walker was only recently recalled for his big league debut. He’s gone just 1-for-14 at the plate with a pair of walks over five games. His lone hit was a solo shot. Walker, 25, was a former second-round pick of the White Sox, acquired straight-up in the deal for Nomar Mazara in December of 2019.
- The Rockies have placed southpaw Ty Blach on the 15-day injured list with a left wrist sprain, per the team. Ryan Feltner was recalled from Triple-A to take his roster spot. Justin Lawrence was also added to the active roster to serve as the 27th man for today’s twin bill. Blach, 31, has made 15 appearances on the year (one start) with a 6.61 ERA over 31 1/3 innings.
NL West Notes: Kershaw, Lovullo, Tovar
Clayton Kershaw tossed 59 pitches over four innings of a minor league rehab start today, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya) that Kershaw will be activated from the 15-day injured list for his next outing. This would put Kershaw in line to start against the Giants next weekend, as the two NL West rivals clash in a big series.
Kershaw was placed on the IL on May 13 due to right SI joint inflammation, and while the injury wasn’t considered to be a big problem, any absence is cause for concern given both Kershaw’s lengthy injury history and his importance to the L.A. rotation. Now in his 15th season, the future Hall-of-Famer is still in fine form, with a 1.80 ERA, 29.4% strikeout rate, and a tiny 2.8% walk rate over his first 30 innings of the 2022 campaign.
More from the NL West…
- While the Diamondbacks have a modest 26-29 record, that is still a vast improvement from their 77-145 mark in 2020-21, and it has led to some renewed belief in manager Torey Lovullo. “Some front office officials have urged ownership to give [Lovullo] an extension,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes, but ownership is holding off for the time being. The skipper is already under control beyond this season, as the extension signed last September guaranteed Lovullo’s deal for the 2022 season and added a club option for 2023, so the D’Backs technically don’t need to act with immediate urgency in locking Lovullo up. This is Lovullo’s sixth season with Arizona, with an overall 363-400 record and one postseason appearance on his resume, plus NL Manager Of The Year honors in 2017.
- Ezequiel Tovar is showing why the Rockies consider him their shortstop of the future, as the 20-year-old is hitting .317/.398/.581 with 11 homers and 16 steals (in 17 chances) over 211 plate appearances at Double-A Hartford. This offensive surge is very promising, as consistent hitting was considered the last piece of the puzzle for a player who is already considered a superb defender. As The Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders notes, there is precedent for the Rox moving fast with promising shortstops, as Trevor Story played only 61 games at Triple-A and Troy Tulowitzki skipped Triple-A entirely prior to his big league debut. Given that Tovar missed a full year of game development due to the canceled 2020 minor league season, the Rockies may not be quite as aggressive with a promotion this time around, but Tovar is certainly drawing attention. Baseball America bumped Tovar all way up to the #26 position on their midseason ranking of the game’s top 100 prospects.
Rockies’ Ryan Rolison, Colton Welker Expected To Undergo Shoulder Surgery
The Rockies will lose two players — left-hander Ryan Rolison and third baseman Colton Welker — to shoulder surgery, reports Nick Groke of the Athletic. According to Danielle Allentuck of the Colorado Springs Gazette (Twitter link), both players will be out for the rest of the season.
Rolison may be the more well-known of the duo, even though he’s yet to make his major league debut. Colorado selected him with the 22nd overall pick in the 2018 draft, and he’s been one of the more highly-regarded arms in the organization for the past few years. The Ole Miss product’s stock has dipped a bit recently, however, as he’s not had a ton of reps since the end of the 2019 campaign.
After the pandemic resulted in the cancelation of the 2020 minor league season, Rolison was limited to 14 starts last year. He underwent an appendix procedure and missed two months between June and August. Even when healthy, Rolison struggled to a 5.91 ERA through ten Triple-A starts — albeit in a very hitter-friendly environment in Albuquerque. Baseball America nevertheless ranked him the #4 prospect in the system over the offseason, writing that he could be a back-end starter, but he’ll now lose a full season of reps.
Colorado added Rolison to the 40-man roster over the winter, but he’s spent the entire season on the 60-day injured list. He’ll collect a full year of MLB service time and a $700K salary while rehabbing.
Welker is also on the 40-man, counting against the roster while on the minor league injured list. Colorado could recall him and put him on the MLB 60-day IL to free a spot, although they’d have to pay him the prorated portion of the league minimum for any time on that list.
The 24-year-old infielder appeared in ten games with the Isotopes, hitting .324/.422/.514. He’ll lose virtually all of the season, his third straight limited campaign. After the 2020 season cancelation, Welker missed most of last year serving an 80-game suspension following a positive test for a performance-enhancing substance. He made his big league debut last September, appearing in 19 games.
Rockies Select Chad Smith
The Rockies have selected the contract of right-hander Chad Smith, The Denver Gazette’s Danielle Allentuck reports (Twitter links). In corresponding moves, left-hander Helcris Olivarez was moved to the 60-day injured list due to a shoulder strain, while righty Ashton Goudeau was optioned to Triple-A. Goudeau’s transaction is just an on-paper move, however, as Allentuck notes that Goudeau will act as the 27th man for the Rockies’ doubleheader with the Nationals today.
Not to be confused with the Chad Smith who used to pitch with the Tigers and Athletics, this Smith was an 11th-round pick for the Marlins in the 2016 draft, and was acquired by the Rockies in exchange for Jesus Tinoco back in August 2020. Just a few days shy of his 27th birthday, Smith is now set to make his Major League debut.
Over two seasons with Triple-A Albuquerque, Smith has an impressive 2.58 ERA and 28.9% strikeout rate over 52 1/3 relief innings in 2021-22. After battling control problems for much of his pro career, Smith has shown very good improvement this season with only a 6.9% walk rate over his 19 frames of work. If Smith has been able to harness his command, he could be a very intriguing reliever to watch, given his velocity, ability to miss bats, and his ability to induce grounders (averaging over a 60% groundball rate during his minor league career).
Kris Bryant Expected To Miss 2-3 Weeks
MAY 27: Colorado doesn’t seem particularly concerned about Bryant’s absence. General manager Bill Schmidt told Jon Heyman of the New York Post the former MVP is expected back in two-to-three weeks.
MAY 25: The Rockies announced Wednesday that left fielder Kris Bryant has once again been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a lower back strain. The IL placement is retroactive to May 23. Bryant missed nearly a month after being placed on the IL with this same injury in late April. He’d only been active for two games before being scratched from Monday’s contest and will now be out until at least June 2. Right-hander Ryan Feltner is up from Triple-A Albuquerque to take Bryant’s spot on the active roster.
Clearly, this isn’t the way that either Bryant or the Rockies envisioned his seven-year, $182MM contract beginning. The former National League Rookie of the Year, National League MVP and four-time All-Star has appeared in just 17 of the Rockies’ 42 games thus far and has yet to connect on his first long ball with the Rox. He’s hitting .270/.342/.333 through his first 73 plate appearances — well above league average in the first two of those three slash stats — but the lack of power and lack of time on the field are both glaring.
There’s no indication from the team as to just how long Bryant is expected to be shelved in this latest stint. It’s worth noting, however, that when Bryant originally hit the injured list back in late April, the Rockies suggested that he could be back on the field in a couple weeks’ time. Instead, as first reported by Nick Groke of The Athletic, Bryant required a cortisone injection a couple weeks into that original IL placement and was ultimately out of action for nearly four weeks. The Rox have a daytime tilt against the Pirates coming up in just under three hours, and it stands to reason that manager Bud Black will offer more information prior to gametime.
Colorado raced out to a 10-5 start to the 2022 season, igniting some hope among the fanbase that perhaps a turnaround of the team’s woeful 2019-21 performance was at hand. They’ve gone 10-17 since that start, however, and have been in a particular funk of late (just four wins in their past 15 games). The resulting 20-22 record and their -28 run differential are both the worst marks in the National League West.
With Bryant back on the shelf into early June, the Rockies will likely to turn to a combination of Connor Joe, Yonathan Daza and Sam Hilliard to cover the workload in left field. Joe has been in the lineup regularly, often as a designated hitter, but could see some extra outfield work now. Daza and Hilliard, meanwhile, figure to see an increase in at-bats with Bryant out.
In a strict platoon deployment, the left-handed-hitting Hilliard would see the bulk of the work, but he’s hitting just .160/.255/.296 to Daza’s .350/.404/.400 thus far in 2022, so perhaps the latter will receive a larger look. Daza’s batting line is being propped up by a .384 average on balls in play that he’s unlikely to sustain, but his minuscule 9.0% strikeout rate so far certainly gives him a chance to remain productive even as that BABIP trends back toward his career levels. Notably, Daza is starting in center field today against a right-handed opponent. Joe is in left field, with Hilliard available off the bench.
As for the 25-year-old Feltner, he’ll make his fourth career start later today when he takes the mound in Pittsburgh. His first three haven’t gone particularly well — he’s surrendered a dozen runs in 11 1/3 MLB innings to date — but the 2018 fourth-rounder is out to a solid start in Triple-A this year. Through 38 1/3 innings, Feltner carries a 3.76 ERA with a 30% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 38.9% ground-ball rate. With Antonio Senzatela on the injured list — also due to a back strain — Feltner could see an increase in his opportunities in the coming weeks, particularly if he shows well in today’s spot start.
Injury Notes: Bryant, Renfroe, Lynn
Rockies left fielder Kris Bryant was scratched from yesterday’s game about 90 minutes before first pitch due to continued discomfort in his back, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. He’ll be further evaluated today, but it’s an ominous scratch given that Bryant only just returned from a month-long absence due to a lower back injury.
Signed to a seven-year, $182MM contract in free agency this past offseason, Bryant was viewed by the Rockies as a potential lineup centerpiece who’d bolster a revamped outfield that also featured trade acquisition Randal Grichuk. Bryant, however, has gotten out to a tepid .270/.342/.333 start to the season and yet to put a ball in the seats. The Rox barely changed the rest of their roster but did sign four in-house players to multi-year extensions (Ryan McMahon, Antonio Senzatela, C.J. Cron and Elias Diaz). Ownership and the restructured/thinned-out front office group clearly had confidence that last year’s group could deliver better results, and while that’s been true to an extent, the Rox are currently at fifth place in the NL West with a 19-22 record.
Some more injury scenarios to keep an eye on…
- Brewers outfielder Hunter Renfroe exited yesterday’s game due to hamstring discomfort after scoring from first base on a double and is headed for an MRI to determine the extent of any damage he may have suffered, tweets MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. Acquired in the offseason trade that saw the Brewers dump Jackie Bradley Jr.‘s contract on the Red Sox — Milwaukee also sent a pair of prospects to Boston in the deal — Renfroe is out to a solid .266/.303/.503 start this season. His nine homers place him in a three-way tie for the team lead alongside Rowdy Tellez and Willy Adames. However, like Renfroe, Adames is currently sidelined; the Brewers placed him on the 10-day injured list last week, owing to a high ankle sprain. If Renfroe is to join Adames on the injured list, that’ll mean 29% of the Brewers’ home runs are sitting out at a time when the team has generally been struggling to score runs. Milwaukee ranks seventh in the Majors with 195 runs (4.6 per game), but they’re averaging just 3.5 runs per contest over their past 10 games.
- Right-hander Lance Lynn has yet to make his 2022 debut with the White Sox after undergoing spring knee surgery, but he’ll throw to live hitters for the second time in his rehab process today, as noted by MLB.com’s Betelhem Ashame. Lynn, who also faced hitters this past Friday, inked a two-year, $38MM extension with the Sox last summer just prior to the trade deadline. The 35-year-old Lynn had a career year with the South Siders in 2021, pitching to a 2.69 ERA in 157 innings over the life of 28 starts, and he’s posted a terrific 3.26 ERA in 449 1/3 frames dating back to 2020.
NL Central Notes: Carlson, Brewers, Cousins, Pirates, Kuhl
Brewers right-hander Jake Cousins has been shut down for the next 4-6 weeks after receiving a PRP injection, Cousins told Curt Hogg of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other reporters. Cousins has been on the IL since May 1, though an issue with his UCL was detected two weeks ago and the reliever was known to be seeking out a second opinion before deciding on his next treatment. Both of the consulting doctors recommended the injection, and Cousins will now embark on what will still be a pretty lengthy absence, even if he has been able to avoid surgery. If Cousins’ arm problems weren’t enough, he also told the media that he recently recovered from a case of COVID-19.
Depending on when Cousins is cleared to begin throwing or if a 40-man roster spot is required, it is quite possibly that the Brewers could shift him to the 60-day IL at some point. The righty made his MLB debut last season and made an immediate impact in Milwaukee’s bullpen, and Cousins has a 3.08 ERA over 38 total innings of big league action, with hefty strikeout (35%) and walk (14.7%) rates.
More from around the NL Central…
- Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson looked to be favoring his left hamstring during a third-inning flyout, and had to leave the game with what the club described as hamstring tightness. More will be known about Carlson’s status after post-game testing, but St. Louis has Corey Dickerson or utilityman Tommy Edman on hand to fill in for Carlson, and Lars Nootbar would likely be the first call-up from Triple-A. The Cards are already short a regular in the outfield with Tyler O’Neill on the 10-day IL due to a right shoulder impingement. After impressing during his first full MLB season in 2021, Carlson has hit only .247/.291/.363 in 158 plate appearances this season, in large part due to some brutal hard-contact numbers.
- The Pirates decided to non-tender Chad Kuhl last winter, resulting in Kuhl signing a one-year, $3MM deal with the Rockies. Kuhl has started all seven of his games with Colorado (with a solid 3.86 ERA), and told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey that the Pirates were only interested in retaining Kuhl if he made a full-time move to the bullpen. “No offense to anybody who’s starting in Pittsburgh right now, but I felt like I was worthy of being in the starting rotation there….Me and [GM Ben Cherington] had a talk. That’s where they saw me,” Kuhl said. “No bad blood or anything like that. It just gave me an opportunity to start somewhere else.” Kuhl missed around half of the 2018 season and all of 2019 with a forearm injury that resulted in Tommy John surgery, and then posted a 4.62 ERA over 126 2/3 frames for Pittsburgh in 2020-21, starting 23 of 39 games.
Rockies Reinstate Kris Bryant
The Rockies announced that they have reinstated Kris Bryant from the injured list. Ashton Goudeau, who was optioned after Thursday’s game without a corresponding move, has been recalled to serve as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader.
Signed to a massive seven-year, $182MM contract in the offseason, Bryant immediately became the face of the franchise in Denver. His tenure in that position got off to a bit of a slow start, as he hit .281/.338/.351 for an 85 wRC+ in his first 15 games as a Rockie, though it’s possible his production was being squeezed by the back soreness that ultimately landed him on the injured list.
It was thought to be a relatively minor issue with the possibility of Bryant returning after the 10-day minimum stint on the IL, though it ended up taking over three weeks for him to return. It was reported a few days ago that mere rest wasn’t taking care of the issue, with Bryant eventually receiving a cortisone shot to help his recovery.
Although capable of playing multiple positions, Bryant has only been slotted into left field on days where he took the field so far this year, along with three starts at designated hitter. Since Bryant’s absence, the left field playing time has been spread around to Connor Joe, Sam Hilliard and Yonathan Daza. Joe and Daza have both been hitting well on the season so far, with Joe putting up a batting line of .278/.368/.436 for a wRC+ of 119, while Daza’s line is .375/.425/.431, 134 wRC+. Hilliard, however, has slumped to a .159/.268/.304 performance, amounting to a 54 wRC+. Based on those numbers, he seems to be the one most likely to be squeezed out by Bryant’s return.
Despite Bryant’s mediocre start to the year, the club was faring better when he was around. They went 12-9 in April but have a 6-10 record thus far in May. Although just a hair under .500 at 18-19, they are currently in the bottom of the NL West, arguably the strongest division in baseball.
Rockies Place Antonio Senzatela On Injured List
The Rockies placed starter Antonio Senzatela on the 15-day injured list because of a low back strain. Colorado also selected catcher Brian Serven to the big league roster, optioned Dom Nuñez to Triple-A Albuquerque and recalled reliever Justin Lawrence.
Senzatela departed yesterday’s outing against the Giants after two innings. The righty came out for the top of the third but left the game during his pre-inning warm-ups in discomfort. The injury will obviously cost him some time, but Danielle Allentuck of the Colorado Springs Gazette tweets the organization is hopeful he can return when first eligible two weeks from now. The Rox are off on Thursday, so they can proceed with the remaining four of Germán Márquez, Kyle Freeland, Chad Kuhl and Austin Gomber on regular rest until next Tuesday.
Through his first seven starts on the year, Senzatela owns a 4.55 ERA. He’s struck out just 11 of the 137 batters he’s faced (a league-low 8%). That’s a concerning mark even for Senzatela, who typically posts one of the lower strikeout numbers in the game. Nevertheless, his blend of strong control and ground-balls has translated to decent enough back-of-the-rotation production. Colorado was clearly pleased with his effort, rewarding him with a five-year extension last September.
Serven, meanwhile, will step onto the roster as the backup to Elias Díaz. That role had fallen to Nuñez to start the year, but he’s struggled in limited playing time. The 27-year-old Serven, meanwhile, is off to a scorching .273/.406/.506 start with the Isotopes. He’s popped five home runs and drawn 16 free passes while going down on strikes just 15 times.
A former 5th-round pick out of Arizona State, Serven is now in line for his first MLB action. The right-handed hitter owns a more modest .245/.318/.429 slash line over parts of six professional seasons, but his hot start earned him a spot on the depth chart. Colorado had previously been carrying only Díaz and Nuñez as catchers on the 40-man roster.