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Padres Trade Connor Joe To Reds

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The Reds acquired outfielder Connor Joe from the Padres for minor league reliever Andrew Moore and cash considerations, the teams announced. Cincinnati transferred Tyler Callihan to the 60-day injured list to create a spot on the 40-man roster. San Diego’s roster count falls to 38.

Joe, a San Diego native who attended USD, signed with his hometown team on a $1MM contract during the offseason. He was expected to work as the right-handed half of a left field platoon with Jason Heyward. The Padres tabbed speedster Brandon Lockridge for that role instead, optioning Joe to Triple-A El Paso to begin the season. He was recalled in mid-April and went hitless in nine at-bats. He drew one walk while striking out six times.

The Friars optioned Joe back out last week. He made 16 appearances with El Paso, hitting .267/.405/.350 through 74 trips to the dish. He has yet to hit a home run but has stolen four bases and taken more walks (13) than strikeouts (10). He should have a better path to big league at-bats in Cincinnati. Rece Hinds and Will Benson, each of whom were recalled from Triple-A Louisville this week, are operating as backup outfielders. Starting right fielder Jake Fraley has missed four straight games on account of calf soreness.

Cincinnati did welcome righty-hitting outfielder Austin Hays back from the injured list this afternoon. Their primary corner outfielders, Fraley and Gavin Lux, each hit from the left side. Joe had a productive .251/.353/.418 slash in 363 plate appearances against lefty pitching with the Pirates between 2023-24. He didn’t hit much without the platoon advantage (.230/.314/.382 in 525 PAs), but he’s an affordable bench/platoon player.

This is Joe’s second minor league option year. The Reds can shuttle him back and forth between Cincinnati and Louisville for this season and next if he holds his 40-man roster spot for that long. He’s nearing four years of service time and will be eligible for arbitration for at least two more years if he sticks with the club.

Moore, who is not the former Mariners MLB pitcher of the same name, is a 25-year-old reliever. He was, however, drafted by Seattle in 2021. The Mariners included him alongside Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo as part of the 2022 deadline deal for Luis Castillo. Moore has spent the past few seasons working his way up to Double-A. He combines big strikeout rates with astronomical walk tallies. He did not rank among Baseball America’s write-up of Cincinnati’s top 30 prospects, though Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked him 22nd in the Reds’ system just last week.

Longenhagen wrote that Moore’s fastball/slider combination looked like that of a setup man at his peak, though his velocity has been down early this season. He’d need to dramatically improve his control to pitch above a low-leverage role in either case. Moore walked upwards of 17% of opponents across 46 1/3 Double-A innings last year. That resulted in a 4.47 ERA despite an excellent 32.3% strikeout rate. He has surrendered five runs (four earned) on three hits and eight walks with 12 punchouts through his first 8 2/3 frames this season.

As for Callihan, his IL transfer was an inevitability. He broke his left arm in a nasty collision with the left field wall at Truist Park on Monday. He promptly underwent surgery that’ll prevent him from doing any kind of baseball activities for six to eight weeks. He probably won’t be able to resume his rookie season until August or September at the earliest.

Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images.

Padres Place Brandon Lockridge On IL Due To Hamstring Strain

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The Padres announced that center fielder Brandon Lockridge has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain. Infielder/outfielder Connor Joe has been recalled to take his spot on the active roster.

Lockridge, 28, isn’t a big star. He has just 25 big league games to his name and a tepid line of .186/.239/.302 in those. However, the injury is a significant one for the Padres since this now means their starting and backup center fielders are both on the IL at the same time.

Jackson Merrill is, of course, the club’s primary option up the middle. He finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting last year and the club made a strong commitment to him by signing him to a nine-year, $135MM extension a couple of weeks ago.

However, Merrill landed on the IL due to a right hamstring strain just a few days after inking that deal. That meant that Lockridge suddenly became the club’s everyday center fielder. With Lockridge now out of action due to his own hammy strain, the club will have to get a bit creative.

Tyler Wade seems to be Plan A. He entered yesterday’s game in place of Lockridge and is starting tonight’s contest out there as well. He’s a multi-positional defensive specialist but center field is one spot where he doesn’t have a ton of experience. He has 52 2/3 innings in center, compared to hundreds in the outfield corners and the infield spots to the left of first base. Even if he can handle the position defensively, he isn’t likely to provide much with the bat. He has 865 major league plate appearances with a .217/.291/.289 line.

Per Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Joe had been playing some center field for Triple-A El Paso due to an injury suffered by Forrest Wall. Perhaps that makes him part of Plan B, though he has no major league experience at the position.

There are some speculative fits on the roster. Jason Heyward has lots of center field experience overall but not so much in recent years and he’s now 35 years old. Fernando Tatis Jr. also has 86 innings in center and could move over from right, though that doesn’t seem to be the plan. He tells Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he is staying in right, as far as he knows.

It will all be temporary, as Merrill will solidify the spot when he returns, but it will make for an interesting challenge in the meantime. The Padres are baseball’s best team at the moment, out to a 13-3 start, and they will naturally try to do whatever they can to keep that momentum going.

Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images

Padres Option Stephen Kolek, Connor Joe

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The Padres announced that they’ve optioned Stephen Kolek, Ron Marinaccio, Luis Campusano and Connor Joe to Triple-A El Paso. None of those players will start the season on the major league roster.

Kolek’s demotion is most notable, as it essentially finalizes the Opening Day rotation. Kyle Hart and Randy Vásquez will open the year as the respective fourth and fifth starters behind Dylan Cease, Michael King and Nick Pivetta. (Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote earlier this evening that the team was leaning in that direction.) There were two spots up for grabs with Yu Darvish beginning the season on the injured list as he battles elbow inflammation.

A 2023 Rule 5 pick, Kolek spent last season in the MLB bullpen. He posted a 5.21 ERA across 46 2/3 innings. While Kolek’s 18.5% strikeout rate was mediocre, he got ground-balls at an excellent 55.9% clip. He showed enough that the Padres built him back up as a starter this spring. Kolek had a good camp, pitching 12 1/3 innings of three-run ball with a 61.5% ground-ball rate.

That evidently wasn’t enough to leapfrog Hart and Vásquez on the depth chart. Hart, a 32-year-old southpaw, signed a $1.5MM free agent deal after spending last season in Korea. His four career major league appearances came with the Red Sox in 2020. Hart has given up eight runs over 7 2/3 Spring Training frames, but his 2.69 ERA in the KBO last year made it likely he’d crack the rotation. That was less clear with Vásquez, who started 20 games with an ERA approaching 5.00 for San Diego a year ago. He has recorded seven strikeouts with one walk over eight innings this spring.

Campusano was ticketed for Triple-A once the Padres tabbed Martín Maldonado to work as the backup catcher behind Elias Díaz. Assuming he spends at least 20 days in the minors, this will be Campusano’s final option year. It’s a make or break season for the former top prospect. Joe signed a $1MM free agent deal to work as the short side of a left field platoon with Jason Heyward. He’s been passed on the depth chart by Brandon Lockridge even though he hit .316/.469/.447 this spring. Lockridge, another righty-hitting outfielder, is a superior runner who’ll provide more athleticism on Mike Shildt’s bench.

Brandon Lockridge Makes Padres’ Roster

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Outfielder Brandon Lockridge has made the Padres’ Opening Day roster, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. He will seemingly be the club’s fourth and final bench player, as it was reported yesterday that veterans Yuli Gurriel, Jose Iglesias and Martín Maldonado will be selected to take the three other spots.

As noted by Cassavell, a spot going to Lockridge will have domino effects for the six other players left in camp: Luis Campusano, Connor Joe, Mason McCoy, Oscar Gonzalez, Tyler Wade and Eguy Rosario. The first three of that group have options and seem likely to be sent to Triple-A. Gonzalez is on a minor league deal and can also be sent to the minors, though Cassavell notes that he does have an opt-out at some point during the season.

As for Wade and Rosario, they cannot be optioned and seem likely to be either traded or designated for assignment in the coming days. That would open up two of the three spots needed on the 40-man for Gurriel, Iglesias and Maldonado.

Lockridge, 28, made his major league debut last year. He only got sent up to the plate 12 times and produced a rough line of .167/.167/.417 in that small sample. Naturally, his minor league production has been better, with a combined line of .278/.357/.417 in the minors over the past four years. He also stole 122 bases in that stretch, including 46 in just 104 games last year. Defensively, he has plenty of experience in all three outfield spots. That makes him a solid guy for the bench, as he can serve as a pinch runner and defensive substitution. As a right-handed hitter, he could perhaps platoon with Jason Heyward in left field at times.

Wade, 30, has generally served as a light-hitting utility player during his career. He has a .217/.291/.289 batting line over eight seasons, production which translates to a 64 wRC+. But he has been able to steal some bases and bounce around the diamond, lining up at every position except first base and the battery.

He has just over five years of major league service time. The Padres tendered him a contract at the end of last year, avoiding arbitration with a deal that includes a $900K salary this year and a club option for 2026. The club presumably planned on having him back a multi-positional bench guy but they pivoted to Iglesias when he was unsigned in the beginning of March, so Wade will apparently be nudged out.

Assuming the club designates him for assignment and puts him on waivers, any club could claim if they were willing to take on that salary. However, since he has at least five years of service, he has the right to elect free agency and keep that money if he clears waivers. At that point, clubs would be free to sign him for the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with the Padres still on the hook for the rest.

Rosario, 25, has appeared in the past three major league seasons but has received a total of just 100 plate appearances with the Padres in those. His .245/.283/.500 line is pretty good but top heavy, as he has five home runs but a 4% walk rate and 34% strikeout rate.

That hasn’t really been a problem in the minors. Over the past four years, he has drawn walks in 10.9% of his plate appearances on the farm while getting punched out just 20.9% of the time. He has a combined .279/.363/.493 line in that time for a 115 wRC+. Defensively, he has played all four infield positions in addition to some corner outfield work.

It’s a decent profile overall. FanGraphs had him ranked as the #11 prospect in the system as of July. Baseball America gave him the #19 spot going into this season. Though he’s out of options, he will probably hold appeal for other clubs. He has between one and two years of service time, meaning he could be retained through the 2029 season if he sticks somewhere else.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Padres Sign Connor Joe

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TODAY: The Padres have officially announced Joe’s contract. Joe will earn $1MM in guaranteed money, Acee reports, and another $1.25MM is available in incentive bonuses.

FEBRUARY 7, 9:45pm: The sides have an agreement on a one-year deal, writes Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

5:20pm: The Padres are nearing a deal with infielder/outfielder Connor Joe, reports Dennis Lin of The Athletic. Financials for the John Boggs & Associates client aren’t publicly known at this time. The Padres have multiple 40-man vacancies, so no corresponding move will be required.

Joe, 32, has been roughly a league average bat in his career but decent in a platoon capacity. In his 1,582 plate appearances, he has hit .242/.337/.391 for a wRC+ of 97, indicating he’s just been 3% below par. A right-handed hitter, Joe has a .254/.350/.415 slash and 107 wRC+ against lefties, compared to a .235/.329/.377 line and 91 wRC+ against righties.

Defensively, he is capable of playing at first base or in an outfield corner. He has five Defensive Runs Saved as an outfielder in his career. Outs Above Average is a bit more pessimistic, giving him a -7 score. However, both metrics consider him above average as a first baseman.

The Pirates could have retained Joe for 2025 via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a $3.2MM salary, but the Bucs decided to non-tender him instead. That sent him into free agency without being exposed to waivers.

Though the financials of this deal haven’t been reported yet, it’s surely a fairly modest guarantee by MLB standards. That’s obviously attractive for the Padres, since the budget is clearly a major concern, as it has been for a while. Last winter, the payroll crunch was tight enough that they dealt Juan Soto to the Yankees. This winter, they’ve been fairly quiet, but rumors have swirled around players like Dylan Cease, Michael King, Luis Arráez, Robert Suarez and others.

The tight payroll situation is awkward because they have a few clear holes on the roster. Jurickson Profar hit free agency and signed with Atlanta, leaving an opening in left field. The first base/designated hitter situation is also somewhat open. Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim hit free agency and signed with the Rays. The Padres are going to move Xander Bogaerts from second base, his primary position last year, back to short. That will seemingly allow Jake Cronenworth to move from first base to second base on a regular basis. Arráez, who served as the designated hitter a lot last year, could be the regular first baseman. Useful part-time players like David Peralta and Donovan Solano also hit free agency at the end of last season, subtracting from the bench/depth area.

Having Joe in the mix gives the Padres some options. He could see time at first base, pushing Arráez back into the DH spot. In left field, Tirso Ornelas projects as the top option at the moment despite having no major league experience. Bringing Joe aboard will push Ornelas down the depth chart, though he could still push for and earn playing time, with depth options like Eguy Rosario and Brandon Lockridge also possibilities to earn at-bats. Ornelas is a lefty bat, so perhaps a platoon with Joe is possible.

The market for part-time outfielders has been moving steadily in recent days. In the past two weeks, Austin Hays, Adam Frazier, Ramón Laureano, Randal Grichuk and Harrison Bader have signed one-year deals ranging from $1.5MM to $6.25MM. Joe’s details haven’t been reported yet but it’s possible he’s in there as well. For clubs still looking for outfield help, players like Alex Verdugo, Jason Heyward and Peralta are some of the unsigned options.

RosterResource currently puts the Padres at a payroll of $205MM and a competitive balance tax number of $245MM. It’s unclear exactly how much wiggle room they have in terms of the pure payroll. As far as the CBT goes, they are currently just $4MM over the $241MM base threshold. It’s presumed that they would want to be below that line, which is understandable, given how close they are.

They didn’t pay the tax in 2024, so they would be a “first-time” payor if they did so in 2025, which would lead to a modest 20% base tax rate for their overages. However, paying the tax also leads to lesser compensation when it comes to players rejecting a qualifying offer and signing elsewhere. Cease, King and Arráez are all impending free agents and candidates for a QO if they stick with the club through the end of the year, which could incentivize the Padres to duck under the tax line by season’s end if they’re at all close.

National League Non-Tenders: 11/22/24

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The deadline to tender a contract to arbitration-eligible players is tonight at 7pm CT. Here’s a rundown of the players on National League teams that have been non-tendered today. This post will be updated as more decisions are revealed. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected salaries for all players eligible for arbitration last month. All players who are non-tendered before this evening’s deadline go directly into free agency, where they’re eligible to sign with any of MLB’s 30 clubs.

Onto the transactions…

  • The Braves non-tendered outfielder Ramón Laureano, left-hander Ray Kerr, as well as right-handers Griffin Canning, Huascar Ynoa and Royber Salinas, which you can read more about here.
  • The Brewers parted ways with lefty reliever Hoby Milner, who’d been projected at $2.7MM for his final arbitration season. The typically reliable southpaw was tagged for a 4.73 ERA in 64 2/3 innings this year.
  • The Cardinals have non-tendered right-hander Adam Kloffenstein, per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat (Bluesky link). The righty only just made his major league debut in 2024 and was not yet arb-eligible. He immediately becomes a free agent without being exposed to waivers.
  • The Cubs have non-tendered infielder Nick Madrigal, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN (X link). Madrigal has hit .251/.304/.312 for a 76 wRC+ over the last three seasons with the Cubs and was projected for a $1.9MM salary next year. Chicago also announced they non-tendered outfielder Mike Tauchman, which comes as a bit of a surprise after he reached base at a .357 clip this year. Patrick Wisdom, Adbert Alzolay, Brennen Davis and Trey Wingenter — all of whom were designated for assignment earlier this week — were also dropped.
  • The Diamondbacks non-tendered lefty reliever Brandon Hughes, per a club announcement. The 28-year-old southpaw allowed 16 runs over 17 2/3 big league innings this year. He wasn’t eligible for arbitration but would’ve occupied a 40-man roster spot if offered a contract.
  • The Dodgers are non-tendering right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. and left-hander Zach Logue, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times (X link). Both pitchers are still in their pre-arbitration years, so this was more about the Dodgers sending them to free agency without exposing them to waivers, as opposed to cost cutting. Perhaps the club will look to re-sign them on minor league deals.
  • The Giants only made two non-tenders, parting with lefty Ethan Small and righty Kai-Wei Teng. Teng had been designated for assignment earlier in the week. Small, who was in his pre-arbitration years, spent the season in the minors or on the injured list.
  • The Marlins had zero non-tenders. They offered contracts to everyone on the 40-man roster.
  • The Mets dropped a trio of players from the 40-man roster: relievers Grant Hartwig and Alex Young and outfield prospect Alex Ramirez. Young was the only member of that group who’d been eligible for arbitration. The southpaw pitched well in a depth role, but the Mets didn’t want to keep him around at a $1.4MM projection. Hartwig made four appearances this year, while the 21-year-old Ramirez (a former top prospect) had a .210/.291/.299 showing in Double-A.
  • The Nationals announced that they have non-tendered right-hander Kyle Finnegan and Tanner Rainey, which you can read more about here.
  • The Padres dropped four players from the roster: righties Luis Patino and Logan Gillaspie, outfielder Bryce Johnson and infielder Mason McCoy. Patino, who underwent Tommy John surgery last summer, was the only member of the group who’d been eligible for arbitration. The other three cuts are simply about roster maintenance. The Padres could try to bring anyone from that group back on minor league deals.
  • The Phillies will not be tendering a contract to outfielder Austin Hays, which MLBTR covered earlier today.
  • The Pirates are expected to non-tender first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe and outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, per Alex Stumpf of MLB.com (Bluesky link). They are also non-tendering right-hander Hunter Stratton, per Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (X link). Joe was projected for a salary of $3.2MM next year and De La Cruz $4MM. Stratton had not yet qualified for arbitration. Joe has been around league average at the plate in his career but doing more damage against lefties. De La Cruz has hit .253/.297/.407 in his career for a wRC+ of 90. Startton had a 3.58 ERA this year but his season was ended by knee surgery, giving him an uncertain path forward.
  • The Reds have non-tendered right-hander Ian Gibaut, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Bluesky link). The righty was projected for a salary of $800K. He spent the vast majority of 2024 on the injured list due to arm trouble and only made two appearances on the season.
  • The Rockies moved on from starter Cal Quantrill and second baseman Brendan Rodgers, which MLBTR covered here.

Pirates Acquire Connor Joe From Rockies

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The Pirates have acquired first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe from the Rockies in exchange for minor league righty Nick Garcia, as announced by both teams.  To create room on the 40-man roster, Pittsburgh designated right-hander Nick Mears for assignment.

The move represents something of a homecoming for Joe, who was drafted 39th overall by the Pirates back in the 2014 draft.  Joe never suited up for the Bucs at the Major League level, however, as Pittsburgh dealt him to the Braves for Sean Rodriguez in August 2017.  After bouncing around to the Braves, Reds, Giants, and (twice) to the Dodgers over the next few seasons, Joe reached the big leagues with 16 plate appearances for the 2019 Giants, but he then sat out the 2020 season due to surgery related to testicular cancer.

Fortunately, Joe recovered and signed a minor league deal with the Rockies in the 2020-21 offseason.  It was in Denver that Joe finally got an extended opportunity, and he has appeared in 174 games and received 678 plate appearances over the last two seasons.  Joe hit .285/.379/.469 with eight homers over 211 PA in 2021, and after he got off to a great start this past year, it looked like the Rox had perhaps found a hidden gem.  However, Joe cooled off, and finished 2022 with a .238/.338/.359 slash line and seven home runs over 467 PA.

The Pirates have also added Carlos Santana, Ji-Man Choi, and catcher Austin Hedges to their mix around the diamond, and Joe now joins these other veterans in augmenting Pittsburgh’s core of younger players.  Joe has played first base and both corner outfield positions in his brief MLB career, with generally good defensive grades as a first baseman and left fielder.  This makes Joe a good complement to Calvin Mitchell and Jack Suwinski (both left-handed hitters) in the Bucs’ corner outfield picture, and Joe could also join the left-handed hitting Choi and the switch-hitting Santana in sharing the first base/DH playing time.

Adding Joe meant parting ways with Garcia and possibly Mears, if another team claims the right-hander on waivers or if the Pirates simply released Mears once his DFA period is up.  Mears has pitched 30 1/3 innings of 4.75 ERA ball for Pittsburgh over the last three seasons, with 23 1/3 of those frames coming in 2021.  After undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery to remove some scar tissue in March 2022, Mears didn’t make his season debut in the minors until late May, and he ended up pitching in only two games for the Pirates at the MLB level.

Garcia didn’t crack MLB Pipeline’s list of the Pirates’ top 30 prospects, though he did make a good accounting for himself in two seasons in Pittsburgh’s deep farm system.  A third-round pick in the 2020 draft, Garcia has a 3.88 ERA over 187 2/3 innings and 46 games (36 of them starts) as a professional.

Garcia turns 24 in April, and is expected to move to Double-A after pitching only in high-A ball in 2022.  Anthony Murphy of Pirates Prospects recently detailed Garcia’s improvements last season, and the fact that Garcia might still be something of an untapped resource certainly holds appeal to a Rockies team that is forever looking for pitchers who can handle Coors Field.  As noted by Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette, the 30-year-old Joe might have been superfluous since prospect Sean Bouchard looks ready to fill a similar role on the big league roster, and thus the Rox moved the older player to bring a new young arm into the system.

Rockies Activate Peter Lambert From Injured List

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The Rockies announced they’ve reinstated Peter Lambert from the 60-day injured list. He’ll start this evening’s game against the Giants. To create space on the 40-man roster, Colorado transferred corner outfielder/first baseman Connor Joe from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list. Rookie outfielder Ryan Vilade was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque to open an active roster spot.

Lambert is back for the first time in two years. A well-regarded pitching prospect during his time in the minors, the right-hander reached the big leagues shortly after his 22nd birthday in 2019. His first crack at the majors didn’t go according to plan, as he was tagged for a 7.25 ERA over nineteen outings, but the Rox surely believed in Lambert’s ability to eventually settle in as a solid starter.

Unfortunately, Lambert went down with a forearm strain in Spring Training last year. A few months later, he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery. That cost him all of 2020 and almost all of this season, but he’ll get back on a big league mound for an appearance or two to end the year. Manager Bud Black told reporters (including Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post) that Lambert could throw up to 60 pitches tonight.

The Rockies obviously aren’t playing more than a potential spoiler role for the stretch run. Nevertheless, it’s a welcome development for Lambert and the team that his lengthy rehab process will culminate in some game action, however brief. Lambert’s return will allow him to enter the upcoming offseason on a more normal footing, while the front office can get a glimpse of his current form in determining how much they can count on him as an option for next year’s season-opening pitching staff.

Joe missed all of last season battling testicular cancer. Fortunately, he was able to make it back to the diamond on a minor league deal and earned his way to the majors in early May. The right-handed hitting Joe had a quietly productive season in a limited role in Colorado. Over 211 plate appearances, he hit .285/.379/.469 with eight home runs.

A right hamstring strain ends Joe’s comeback season a bit early. Still, it seems likely the 29-year-old showed enough offensive punch to hang onto a spot on Colorado’s 40-man roster over the offseason.

Rockies Place Austin Gomber, Connor Joe On 10-Day Injured List

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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.

Rockies Notes: Story, Joe, Trejo, Bowden

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The Rockies can breathe a sigh of relief: There is no structural damage to Trevor Story’s elbow, per the Athletic’s Nick Groke (via Twitter). The star shortstop’s MRI came back clean, so the Rockies can now look forward to his return as early as next Tuesday.

While the biggest news out of Colorado was no doubt results of that MRI, they also completed a couple of roster moves. The Rockies recalled infielder Alan Trejo from Triple-A and optioned Connor Joe.

Joe has done a nice job in 52 plate appearances, particularly getting on base with a .365 OBP, but the 25-year-old Trejo brings the ability to play up the middle. At least while Story is out, Trejo provides the Rockies with more defensive insurance, especially as they run with a four-man bench. Trejo made his Major League debut earlier this season, slashing .216/.268/.270 in 41 plate appearances.

Yesterday, southpaw Ben Bowden was reinstated from the injured list and optioned to Triple-A, per the team. The 26-year-old Vanderbilt product posted a 6.39 ERA/4.54 FIP in 15 appearances prior to the left shoulder strain that landed him on the injured list.

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