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Rockies Recall Garrett Hampson, Option Jeff Hoffman

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The Rockies have optioned right-handed pitcher Jeff Hoffman to Triple-A Albuquerque, tweets Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Infielder Garrett Hampson has been recalled and will replace Hoffman on the active roster.

After showing promise last season in a second-half call-up to the Major League team, Hampson struggled mightily out of the gates in 2019, posting a dismal .489 OPS in 105 plate appearances, including an ugly 6:27 ratio of walks to strikeouts. He was optioned to Triple-A and performed capably in 26 games, and now reclaims his spot on the active roster with Trevor Story on the injured list.

Hoffman, meanwhile, has made seven starts for the Rockies, working to a 6.75 ERA. The former first-round selection has managed to strike out 36 batters in 33 1/3 innings, but has been susceptible to the long ball, surrendering seven home runs in total. Hoffman, now 26, will look to iron things out in the minor leagues, but the organization’s patience may be running thin with the once-promising right-hander. With Hoffman’s spot in the rotation set to come up on Tuesday, the Rockies will need to find a replacement for him. Kyle Freeland, last year’s staff ace, has been in the minors since May 31 and is an obvious candidate to return to the Majors. However, as The Athletic’s Nick Groke notes, Freeland is starting today in Triple-A, so he won’t be ready to pitch in place of Hoffman on Tuesday.

 

Rockies Notes: Chemistry, Leadoff, Bullpen Roles

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Although team chemistry is difficult to gauge and impossible to measure, there’s little doubt to the positive impact made by lead-by-example types Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon, per Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. While Arenado and Blackmon make the culture what it is with their intensity and work ethic – as they should since they’re the two highest paid players on the team – they’re not necessarily vocal leaders. Someone will have to step into the void left by the departures of Carlos Gonzalez, Gerardo Parra and DJ LeMahieu, three players who handled a brunt of the interpersonal clubhouse responsibilities last season. Parra kept the mood light, LeMahieu fueled the competitive spirit, and CarGo took on the responsibility of access, making himself available to the press more often than not. The latter is an interesting and important responsibility, as some guys are better than others at shutting out the noise that comes with playing professionally. Mark Reynolds figures to be a top candidate to take on some of the emotional management of the Rockies’ clubhouse, but other veterans like Ian Desmond and Chris Iannetta will have the opportunity to play more of a leadership role as well. More from Saunders on the Rockies 2019 season…

  • In a separate piece for the Denver Post, Saunders notes that manager Bud Black likes the potency of Blackmon’s bat at the top of the lineup, and he plans to keep him there for 2019. With slugging percentages of .552, .601, and .502 the last three seasons, Blackmon fits the mold of a more traditional middle of the order bat, but Black likes the threat of the home run ball from the jump. LeMahieu handles roughly half of last season’s leadoff responsibilities (with Blackmon bumped to second), but with him in New York there will be a new face at the top of the Rockies lineup. Daniel Murphy figures to fit somewhere in the top of the order mix, but youngster Garrett Hampson is another natural choice to play himself into the conversation. With walk rates between 9.0% and 15.4% in his three minor league seasons, along with solid contact rates, Hampson has the potential to match LeMahieu’s contact ability while adding to it a more disciplined approach.
  • Whereas most of the league is turning to fluid bullpen roles and innovations like the Opener and the multi-inning stopper, Black and the Rockies maintain a more traditional bullpen philosophy, writes Saunders. Black prefers not only to have a standard closer, but also a regular eighth inning arm. Wade Davis figures to return to the closer role, but with Adam Ottavino gone, the eighth inning is up for grabs. A spring competition ought to iron out the exact bullpen roles, with Seunghwan Oh and Scott Oberg the odds-on favorites to land the setup gig, with veterans Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee peripheral contenders. Oberg made major strides last seasons, earning Black’s trust down the stretch last season as he cut his walk rate from a career 4.2 BB/9 to 1.8 BB/9 in 2018.

Rockies Place DJ LeMahieu On DL, Promote Garrett Hampson, Designate Daniel Castro

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In an unfortunate development for the surging, playoff-contending Rockies, second baseman DJ LeMahieu is headed to the 10-day disabled list because of a left oblique strain. The Rockies will replace him with infield prospect Garrett Hampson, whose contract they selected from Triple-A Albuquerque. To make room for Hampson, Colorado designated infielder Daniel Castro for assignment.

This is the third DL stint of the year for LeMahieu, who most recently missed the second half of May with a hand injury. In addition to the health issues LeMahieu has battled this season, the pending free agent hasn’t performed to his 2016-17 levels on offense, with a .278/.324/.430 line, eight home runs and five steals across 331 plate appearances. LeMahieu has been a standout in the field, however, having posted eight Defensive Runs Saved and a 3.1 Ultimate Zone Rating.

Winners of six straight and within two games of the NL West-leading Dodgers, the Rockies (52-45) will have to make do without LeMahieu – who, based on the nature of oblique issues, could miss significant time. But his injury has helped open the door for Hampson, Colorado’s sixth-ranked prospect at MLB Pipeline. The 23-year-old has logged above-average offensive numbers at each minor league stop since the Rockies picked him in the third round of the 2016 draft. A .306/.366/.443 hitter with four homers and 14 steals over 246 PAs this season, MLB Pipeline praises Hampson’s “quick right-handed swing,” patience and speed. He also has “Gold Glove upside” at the keystone, the outlet contends.

Castro, 25, is in his second year with the Rockies, who selected his contract for the first time earlier this season. Castro didn’t do much with that playing time before his designation, though, hitting a mere .174/.191/.261 in 47 trips to the plate. The former Brave owns a .210/.240/.265 line in 288 lifetime big league PAs, though he has slashed a more-than-respectable .333/.367/.457 in 227 Triple-A PAs this season.

West Notes: Ross, Rockies, Beltre, Gonzales

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Tyson Ross spoke recently with Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune about the likelihood that he’ll be traded by the Padres at some point in the near future. Ross spoke like a pitcher who is anticipating that he’ll be traded, though he notes that his experience with the Padres in 2015 taught him that there are no certainties. That season, Ross was considered to be among the top trade assets in baseball, but the Padres held onto him — a decision GM A.J. Preller likely regrets, given that Ross was injured for the whole 2016 season and ultimately released. “I was one of the bigger names being thrown around as a trade piece,” Ross said of that 2015 campaign. “A.J. held on to me. He didn’t get his return on that. If he wants to make a move at some point, that’s the game. For him, it would be a great investment — buy low, sell high.”

MLBTR’s Jeff Todd recently took a look at Ross and another pair of Padres starters, Clayton Richard and Jordan Lyles, and explored their trade candidacy as the summer approaches. Ross, right now at least, looks like a rare thoracic outlet surgery success story; in 60 1/3 innings he’s notched a 3.13 ERA with 9.6 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 0.75 HR/9 and a 44.1 percent ground-ball rate.

A few more notes from the game’s Western divisions…

  • MLB.com’s Thomas Harding addresses a number of Rockies-related issues in his latest Inbox column, writing that while fans are champing at the bit to see Brendan Rodgers in the Majors, it may very well that infield prospect Garrett Hampson beats the more highly-touted Rodgers to the big leagues. Rodgers is still just 21 and has yet to play in Triple-A, Harding notes, while Hampson was recently promoted to Triple-A, has experience hitting leadoff and has a strong history of on-base skills. With DJ LeMahieu on the shelf, that skill set holds some appeal to the organization. Harding also looks at what could be a challenging trade deadline for Jeff Bridich as he looks to improve an inconsistent offense, though he adds that he isn’t hearing any indication that the Rox are aggressively exploring the trade market just yet. Of course, in late May, that’s hardly an uncommon stance for any team.
  • Adrian Beltre hasn’t made a decision about his future beyond the 2018 season, writes Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, though he’s open about the fact that he’s not looking to play for several years beyond 2018. Asked if he had any desire to play to age 45 like his countryman Bartolo Colon, Beltre joked, “My wife would divorce me.” For now, the Rangers third baseman is merely focused on getting healthy enough to return to the field, and Wilson notes that the current plan is for the 39-year-old to return to the lineup in about two weeks’ time. Whether Beltre will finish out the season in Texas remains to be seen as well, of course, as he’s already come up as a potential trade candidate should he return to the lineup in good health and avoid further trips to the DL.
  • Mariners southpaw Marco Gonzales chatted with Corey Brock of The Athletic in an interesting Q&A about his return from Tommy John surgery, the process of reestablishing trust in his curveball and his use of data and analytics. The 26-year-old said he feels like this is “the best curveball I’ve had in my career,” explaining that because he’s largely recovered from TJ surgery, his grip strength is improved and he can throw from his natural arm slot. Gonzales, though, added that he doesn’t feel that he (or any other pitcher) can ever say he’s 100 percent recovered from such a major surgery. “It’s a constant job,” Gonzales said of managing his recovery. “And it’s something I take a lot of pride in, getting my arm ready each day. It’s 45 minutes worth of stuff each day to make sure I’m feeling good. Even on days when I don’t need to do it, I still do it because it helps me feel secure. I think that’s what the rehab process did: give me some pride and some conviction in how I go about my routine.” Gonzales has turned in a 4.05 ERA with 8.3 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 0.84 HR/9 and a 46 percent ground-ball rate in 53 1/3 innings this season, with FIP (3.22) and xFIP (3.20) looking even more favorably upon his work.

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