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Rockies Select Matt Koch

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The Rockies announced this afternoon that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Matt Koch. Right-hander Jake Bird was placed on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation to clear a spot on the club’s active roster, while infielder Julio Carreras was designated for assignment to open up a spot on the 40-man roster.

Koch, 33, was a third-round pick by the Mets in the 2012 draft but made his debut with the Diamondbacks in 2016. In parts of four seasons with Arizona, Koch swung between the rotation and bullpen but generally struggled badly throughout his time in the majors with a 4.88 ERA and 6.00 FIP in 125 1/3 innings. Koch departed the Dbacks organization following the 2019 season and did not pitch in the big leagues over the next two seasons before eventually resurfacing with the Mariners for four appearances in 2022, though he struggled badly with an 8.31 ERA and 8.42 FIP in 4 1/3 frames.

That eventually led Koch to sign with the Rockies on a minor league deal prior to the 2023 season. He was a serviceable member of the club’s bullpen last year, pitching to a 5.12 ERA (good for a roughly league average 97 ERA+ due to the inflated offensive environment of Coors Field) with a roughly matching 5.07 FIP in 39 appearances for Colorado last year. While he struck out just 16.6% of batters faced, he limited walks to a 5.5% clip while generating groundballs and a strong 49% clip. Looking ahead, the Rockies are surely hoping that Koch will offer the club adequate middle relief from the left-hand side once again this year, as he’ll enter the club’s bullpen as the only lefty relief option besides closer Jalen Beeks.

Making room for Koch on the active roster is Bird, who is headed to the injured list with elbow inflammation. The 28-year-old righty was a fifth-round pick by the Rockies in the 2018 draft and has pitched for the club in each of the last three seasons, including a solid 2023 campaign where he posted a 4.33 ERA and 3.55 FIP in 89 1/3 innings of work. While that seemingly set Bird up to handle key leverage innings for Colorado out of the bullpen this year, things haven’t gone according to plan as he’s struggled badly to the tune of a 6.10 ERA and nearly matching 6.34 FIP in 20 2/3 innings of work prior to his placement on the injured list today. Bird’s timetable for return is not currently clear, though the Rockies are surely hoping he’ll look more like his 2023 self upon his return.

As for Carreras, the 24-year-old first appeared in pro ball with the Rockies back in 2018 and entered the season as a fairly well-regarded prospect in the club’s farm system thanks to his strong infield defense, power potential, and proximity to the big leagues. That was enough for the club to decide to add Carreras to the 40-man roster this winter, and a strong .304/.388/.461 performance in the Dominican Winter League this past offseason seemingly further set up Carreras as a potential infield depth option for the big league club this year.

Unfortunately. Carreras’s prospects have taken a turn for the worse since the season began. In 38 games at the Triple-A level this season, Carreras has slashed just .181/.247/.269. That’s a tough slash line to swallow at any level of pro ball, though it’s especially weak given the heightened offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League, where the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate plays its games. Colorado will have one week to either trade Carreras or attempt to pass him through waivers. If he successfully clears waivers, the Rockies will have the opportunity to assign Carreras outright to the minor leagues and maintain him as non-roster depth.

Ryan McMahon Could Be The Next Rockies Test Case

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The Rockies finished off a sweep of the Padres yesterday and hold MLB's longest active win streak at seven games. It's their best stretch in five years and has pulled them back ahead of the Marlins at the bottom of the National League.

Colorado is still 13 games below .500, though, leaving them without realistic postseason aspirations. Other teams will call on some of their veteran players throughout the summer. At the top of the list of interesting trade candidates is Ryan McMahon, whose early-season performance should get him some consideration for the first All-Star nod of his career.

McMahon has been a productive player for a few years. He's a plus defender at third base who'll top 20 home runs on an annual basis. While he strikes out a fair amount, he draws enough walks to keep a respectable on-base percentage. After adjusting for his home park, McMahon has been a slightly below-average hitter who provides plenty of defensive value -- a good everyday infielder who's a little shy of being a star.

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NL West Notes: Rodriguez, Thomas, Musgrove, Montgomery

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The Diamondbacks sent both left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez and outfielder Alek Thomas for MRI exams last week, and Torey Lovullo told reporters (per MLB.com’s Injury Tracker) that the results of Rodriguez’s MRI were “very positive,” but that there was no update on Thomas’s status as the club plans to seek second and third opinions on the youngster’s results.

It’s excellent news for the Diamondbacks that Rodriguez is making his way toward a return, with Lovullo indicating that he’s set to begin a throwing program. Rodriguez will be sidelined through at least May 24 due to his placement on the 60-day injured list but it’s at least feasible he could return to game action not long after that if he manages to avoid further setbacks. Rodriguez’s lat injury woes have prevented him from making his Dbacks debut to this point in the 2024 campaign, but he’s coming off an excellent season with the Tigers last year that saw him post a 3.30 ERA and 3.66 FIP in 152 2/3 innings of work and should provide a major boost to an Arizona rotation that’s currently relying on Ryne Nelson and Slade Cecconi in the absence of Rodriguez and veteran righty Merrill Kelly.

As for Thomas, the lack of update from the Diamondbacks is a somewhat ominous sign regarding his hamstring. The 24-year-old was initially scheduled to be activated from the IL last week but ended up exiting a rehab outing with Triple-A due to an issue with his injured hamstring on May 5 that ultimately did not improve after a day off, prompting Arizona to delay his return and send him for testing. Once a consensus top-30 prospect in the sport, Thomas has struggled at the big league level with a .230/.273/.362 slash line in 242 career games but nonetheless figured to be the club’s starting center fielder this season. Corbin Carroll has handled center field in Thomas’s absence with Jake McCarthy stepping from the bench into Thomas’s spot in the lineup while manning right field.

More from the NL West…

  • Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove is making good progress in his return from right elbow inflammation, according to manager Mike Shildt (per MLB.com’s Injury Tracker). The 31-year-old’s initial worrisome diagnosis was described as “precautionary” when he was initially placed on the shelf last week, and it appears that description was an apt one as Musgrove has reportedly already begun light baseball activities, including playing catch. MLB.com writes that the right-hander is optimistic that he’ll be able to return “shortly after” the minimum 15-day stint on the IL, which would likely result in him returning to action sometime next week. San Diego is surely hoping that Musgrove will look more like the ace hurler who posted a 3.05 ERA in 459 2/3 innings in a Padres uniform entering the 2024 campaign than he has to this point in the season, as he struggled badly with a 6.37 ERA and 5.96 FIP in eight starts prior to his placement on the shelf.
  • The Rockies may have lost outfield prospect Benny Montgomery for the season on Friday, as MLB.com’s Thomas Harding relays that the 21-year-old underwent shoulder surgery that Rockies director of player development Chris Forbes said will keep him out until at least “toward the end of the year” if he’s able to return this season at all. The club’s first-round pick in the 2021 draft, Montgomery turned heads during the Arizona Fall League last year with a .333/.436/.500 slash line in 19 games and was hitting a solid .283/.313/.500 in his first taste of Double-A action before being sidelined by the shoulder injury.

Kris Bryant Discusses Injuries, Rockies Tenure

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Kris Bryant and the Rockies have endured a brutal start to the seven-year deal the sides agreed upon prior to the 2022 season. Since he landed in Colorado, the veteran has appeared in just 135 of the club’s 363 contests and has generally struggled at the plate even when healthy enough to take the field, slashing just .249/.329/.391 in 571 trips to the plate with the club. Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post took an in-depth look at Bryant’s Rockies tenure this morning, noting that despite the veteran’s struggles he still believes he’ll be able to contribute in Colorado once healthy.

“I know [my talent] is still in there. There are flashes of it, and I can’t wait to get out there and play again,” Bryant told Saunders.

It’s an open question whether Bryant will eventually get healthy enough to rediscover the talent that convinced the Rockies to invest $182MM in him just over two years ago, but it’s hard to deny how valuable such an outcome would be for Colorado. The second-overall pick in the 2013 draft, Bryant’s career kicked off with a bang when he slashed an excellent .284/.377/.522 in 306 games as the Cubs’ starting third baseman over his first two years in the big leagues. Those seasons saw him earn two All Star appearances, a Rookie of the Year award, an MVP award, and hoist the first World Series trophy on the north side of Chicago in more than a century. Bryant would go on to finish seventh in NL MVP voting the following year and make two more All Star appearances throughout his time with the club before wrapping up his Cubs career with a .279/.378/.508 slash line across 833 games.

That incredible talent has not been on display in Colorado, but it appears he could return to action and resume his attempts to rediscover his power stroke in the near future. MLB.com’s Injury Tracker indicates that Bryant is on track to make a relatively quick return to the Rockies, with manager Bud Black telling reporters yesterday that Bryant is slated to begin a rehab assignment later this week and could return to the big league club as soon as May 17 in San Francisco. That the 32-year-old is nearing a return hardly means his injury woes are entirely behind him. Bryant told Saunders that the disc problems and severe arthritis he’s dealing with will be an issue throughout the remainder of his playing career. Even so, the former MVP went on to note that he’s currently feeling “the best [he’s] felt in a long time” in terms of his health.

Bryant isn’t the only player making his way toward a return for the Rockies, as Black also told reporters (including Luke Zahlman of the Denver Gazette) that Bryant will be joined in Albuquerque by outfielder Nolan Jones. Jones, who impressed with a 135 wRC+ in his first season with the Rockies last year but struggled badly in 26 games this season before hitting the injured list, is said by Black to be “a couple days” behind Bryant but nonetheless figures to start a rehab assignment of his own in the near future with a return by the end of the month on the table.

Further away from big league action is right-hander German Marquez, who underwent Tommy John surgery a year ago today. Black told reporters (including Zahlman) that Marquez is making progress in his rehab and has already thrown four innings in extended Spring Training and a scoreless frame in the Arizona Complex League. That being said, the right-hander figures to require a lengthy rehab assignment once he’s ready to begin starting games, with Black suggesting that the righty will likely need five or six rehab outings before he can return to the big league mound. Marquez returning in time to pitch the second half for Colorado would be a huge boost to the club’s rotation, which currently ranks dead last in the majors with a 5.91 ERA.

Rockies Moving Peter Lambert Back To Bullpen

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The Rockies are kicking Peter Lambert back to the bullpen, manager Bud Black told reporters (X link via Thomas Harding of MLB.com). Lefty Ty Blach is a candidate to step into the rotation spot, though the Rox will wait to see if Blach is needed in relief over the weekend before making that call.

Lambert opened the season in relief. He tossed 11 2/3 innings of three-run ball behind a 61.3% ground-ball percentage over the season’s first few weeks. Colorado gave him another look as a starter when they lost Kyle Freeland to the injured list. Lambert has started three of his past four outings and been hit much harder than he was early in the year. The 27-year-old righty didn’t make it out of the fourth inning in any of his appearances. He allowed at least four runs in all three starts, including a seven-run showing against the Giants on Wednesday.

A former second-round pick, Lambert has generally struggled over the past few seasons. He started 11 of 25 outings last year, allowing 5.36 earned runs per nine. Lambert actually fared much better as a starter than he did in relief in 2023, but that has been flipped this season.

Colorado’s pitching has been below-average in all respects. The bullpen entered play Friday ranked 25th in MLB with a 4.67 ERA. The starting staff has had an even tougher time, sporting an MLB-worst 6.17 earned run average. Even in the context of the game’s toughest home environment for pitchers, that’s subpar production. The Rockies are the only team with a single-digit win total. They enter tonight’s game against the Rangers at 9-28.

Blach, 33, is in his third season with his hometown club. He cracked the big league roster on April 21 after signing a minor league contract over the winter. The soft-tossing southpaw has done a decent job in the early going, allowing only five runs through 13 innings in a long relief role. Blach isn’t going to miss many bats, but he’s not afraid to attack the strike zone and has at least had some success this year. He started 13 of 20 big league outings last season, surrendering a 5.54 ERA through 78 innings.

GM Bill Schmidt Discusses Rockies’ Tough Start

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The Rockies are 8-24 over the season’s first 32 games, ahead of only the White Sox (6-26) in the overall league standings.  Even with five months remaining on the schedule, a turn-around doesn’t seem too likely, as Colorado did very little to improve last season’s 103-loss roster and was widely expected to again post one of baseball’s worst records.

Even amidst this dire beginning to the season, general manager Bill Schmidt still believes that “good things are going to happen” at Coors Field.  In an interview with Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, Schmidt discussed several topics related to the Rockies’ poor start, but cited “the inconsistency of our offense” as the main problem.

“We have been in a lot of games, but we haven’t figured out how to win those games….But at the end of the day, we haven’t gotten the big hit to put us ahead, to get us back into the game, to win a game.  For me, it comes back to our offense and our lack of execution,” Schmidt said.  When asked by Saunders whether the Rockies’ approach to hitting was an issue, Schmidt said “it’s not about our strategy….Our guys care, and they are trying hard, but they have to be more disciplined.  [Hitting coach Hensley Meulens] and those guys talk about that all the time. They talk about the strike zone and being patient.  The work ethic is great.  Guys are trying, but at the end of the day, guys aren’t getting it done.”

Colorado ranks 24th of 30 teams in runs scored (120), 26th in home runs (25), and 28th (78th) in wRC+.  The Rox haven’t been gotten the traditional benefit from the thin air of Coors Field, as they rank last in the majors in home wRC+, with only a 74 number.  As Schmidt noted, players like Kris Bryant, Nolan Jones, and Brendan Rodgers were expected to be key parts in the lineup but they’ve all struggled to date, and Bryant and Jones are currently on the injured list.

A lower back strain has kept Bryant out of action since mid-April, continuing the former NL MVP’s run of injuries since signing a seven-year, $182MM free agent deal with Colorado during the 2021-22 offseason.  Schmidt said that there isn’t yet a timetable for Bryant’s rehab or when he might return to the lineup, but “he’s feeling better” and “is starting to do baseball activities.”

While Schmidt isn’t wrong that the lineup hasn’t produced, for the GM to point the finger primarily at the offense overshadows the more obvious concern that the Rockies sit at or near the bottom of the league in most major pitching categories.  Schmidt did admit that “it’s not a great bullpen” but also claimed that “for the most part, the starting rotation has been OK.”  Even with a nod to the injury-depleted nature of the rotation, “OK” is a real reach considering that Colorado is 30th of 30 teams in ERA (5.79), SIERA (4.58), WHIP (1.58), and strikeout rate (16.5%).  An argument can certainly be made that the Rox might still be struggling even if they had a top-ten lineup, simply because the pitching has been so poor.  The rotation has been obviously hurt by the losses of German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela to Tommy John surgery and Kyle Freeland to an elbow strain, though that isn’t necessarily the most solid of top threes even if everyone was healthy.

Beyond just Meulens, Schmidt felt the coaching staff as a whole and manager Bud Black “are doing a very good job….because of the work ethic of the players.  Our guys are playing hard.  The effort level is there, night in and night out. That’s what I see.”  Perhaps interestingly, Schmidt didn’t address the topic of a potential contract extension for Black when Saunders asked about the seeming lack of news on the subject of the skipper’s future.

Black is in his eighth season in Colorado, and his first two seasons with the club resulted in postseason appearances.  Since then, however, the Rox haven’t posted a winning record, resulting in Black’s lackluster 484-580 overall record during his managerial tenure with the team.  Black signed one-year contract extensions in March 2022 and March 2023, but despite some reports of talks during Spring Training, no new deal was announced this year.

It could be that an extension was quietly reached but not publicly revealed, as the Rockies have tended to take something of an unique approach to managerial contracts.  With both Black and former manager Jim Tracy, the two sides operated on an unofficial year-to-year handshake deal, so it might be that the Rox didn’t see the need this time for a formal announcement of another extension.  Or, the lack of an announcement might imply that Black is having some hesitation on his own end of the deal — Black turns 67 in June, so it might not be a surprise if he is considering retirement.

As for positives, Schmidt cited the improved numbers posted by Ryan McMahon, Brenton Doyle, Ezequiel Tovar, and the Elias Diaz/Jacob Stallings catching combo.  Between these players, healthy and productive returns from Bryant and Jones, and just overall improved hitting, Schmidt is confident the Rockies can play some better baseball.

This type of semi-positive outlook might not be what Denver fans want to hear, but in fairness to Schmidt, it’s pretty rare that an executive in his situation would outright slam his players or his coaching staff over the 8-24 start.  This doesn’t mean that harsher criticisms aren’t taking place behind closed doors, but Schmidt publicly calling out his team could very well cause more problems than it would solve.

On the other hand, the Colorado organization (from owner Dick Monfort on down) has long been accused of having a more optimistic view of the team than their talent level would seem to warrant.  The Rox have long resisted the idea of a public rebuild, so such a course correction likely isn’t going to happen barring a big change of heart from Monfort.  As such, it’s hard to determine how exactly the Rockies are going to be able to dig themselves out of his big hole, or even show clear signs that the team is making progress back towards contention.

Rockies Promote Angel Chivilli For MLB Debut

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The Rockies announced today that right-hander Justin Lawrence has been placed on the paternity list. To take his place on the active roster, fellow righty Angel Chivilli was recalled from Double-A Hartford and will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. Chivilli’s promotion was reported yesterday by @elvaronsport12 and @informate_con_edili on Instagram.

Chivilli, 21, was an international signing of the Rockies out of the Dominican Republic. He put himself on the prospect map in 2022 by tossing 40 2/3 innings between the Complex League and Single-A with a 2.21 earned run average. He struck out 30.5% of batters faced that year while only giving out walks at a 6% clip.

Baseball America ranked him the #20 prospect in the Rockies’ system going into 2023, highlighting his high-90s fastball as well as his slider and changeup. His results backed up a bit last year, but still with strong underlying metrics. He had a 5.61 ERA over 61 innings between High-A and Double-A, but struck out 25.1% of opponents while walking just 7.7%. Were it not for a .345 batting average on balls in play and 60.7% strand rate, there would have been fewer runs crossing the plate.

The Rockies added him to their 40-man roster in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft and BA ranked him #23 in the system coming into 2024. He has tossed 7 2/3 innings at the Double-A level so far this year with a 2.35 ERA, striking out eight while walking four. It may be a short stay in the big leagues for Chivilli since paternity list stints last a maximum of three days.

Rockies Promote Jordan Beck

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April 30: As expect, the Rockies announced that they have selected Beck’s contract and placed Jones on the injured list, retroactive to April 29, due to a low back strain. To open a 40-man spot for Beck, they transferred left-hander Lucas Gilbreath to the 60-day IL. Gilbreath underwent Tommy John surgery in March of last year. He began a rehab assignment a week ago but only recorded one out while tossing 18 pitches and hasn’t pitched since. Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post says Gilbreath is having shoulder problems. It’s unclear what his next steps are but he’ll now be ineligible to be activated until late May.

April 29: The Rockies are calling up top outfield prospect Jordan Beck for his big league debut, as first reported by Ben McKee of GoVols 24/7. He’s not on the 40-man roster, so the Rox will need to make at least one corresponding transaction and possibly two. Luke Zahlmann of the Denver Gazette reports that fellow outfielder Nolan Jones is likely headed to the injured list. Jones has been bothered by a back injury recently. He returned to the lineup Sunday but exited the game early due to continued discomfort. The Rockies are off today but open a three-game set in Miami tomorrow. McKee writes that Beck is currently traveling to Miami to join the big league club.

Beck, 23, was the No. 38 overall draft pick out of the University of Tennessee in 2022 and entered the season ranked 81st among all big league prospects, per MLB.com. He’s gotten out to a brilliant start in Triple-A Albuquerque, hitting .307/.405/.594 with five homers, ten doubles, two triples, five steals (in five attempts), a 14.9% walk rate and a 19.8% strikeout rate in 121 plate appearances. By measure of wRC+, he’s been 40% better than league average after weighting for his home park and league run-scoring environment.

It’s a strong showing for Beck and a particularly encouraging development in terms of his hit tool; he’s posted big offensive numbers at every level since being drafted, but he fanned in an alarming 31.8% of his 223 plate appearances in his first taste of Double-A last year. He moved up a rung on the minor league ladder regardless, and a month or so into the 2024 season that looks like it was the right call.

Improvement to his hit tool is vital for Beck, as scouting reports have tended to tout his above-average to plus power and average or better speed while simultaneously expressing concerns about his contact abilities. In ranking Beck fourth among Rox farmhands, Baseball America noted that he has a particular penchant for swinging through velocity at the top of the zone but otherwise tends to make good swing decisions, mitigating his contact issues on pitches thrown to other areas.

As for the 25-year-old Jones, he’s had a nightmare start to the 2024 season. In 103 plate appearances, he’s slashing just .170/.243/.277 with a 36% strikeout rate on the season. Jones impressed with a standout .297/.389/.542 showing as a rookie last year, and while some degree of regression was always fair to expect based on a .401 BABIP and 29.7% strikeout rate, this level of step back was generally unexpected. Jones is actually making more contact on pitches within the zone and chasing off the plate less often, but he’s seen his called-strike percentage balloon from 19.9% to 25.3%. His overall swing rate is down from 41.5% to 39%, and the more passive approach seems to have led to an excess of called strikes putting him behind in the count.

Assuming Beck does indeed get the call, it’ll be his first MLB look and it’ll come with what should be a legitimate chance to win a long-term role in the outfield. Jones looks to have left field locked down — assuming he can right the ship once activated — and Brenton Doyle is in the midst of a breakout performance in center field (albeit with some significant BABIP help of his own, at an unsustainable .446). However, right field is still largely up for grabs. Michael Toglia entered the season as the primary right fielder but has since been optioned to Triple-A. Sean Bouchard and Hunter Goodman have both gotten looks there but neither has established himself as an everyday player. Beck has experience across all three outfield positions though, so he could fill a variety of roles if he hits well enough to keep himself in the big leagues.

If Beck is in the majors to stay, he’d be on track for free agency following the 2030 season and would be arbitration-eligible four times as a Super Two player, beginning in the 2026-27 offseason. Future optional assignments could alter both trajectories.

Rockies, Tyler Danish Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Rockies have signed Tyler Danish to a minor league deal, as first reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. He has been assigned to Triple-A Albuquerque. According to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding (on X), the right-hander will start for the Isotopes tomorrow.

Danish had just signed with the Mexican League’s Olmecas de Tabasco last week. He started once, tossing six innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts and two walks. Colorado was evidently impressed with the 29-year-old’s form, as they signed him after that lone start. He’ll apparently get a chance to continue working out of the rotation in affiliated ball. Danish has worked almost exclusively from the bullpen since 2017, when he was in Triple-A with the White Sox.

Chicago initially selected Danish in the second round of the 2013 draft. He made cameos with the White Sox between 2016-18 but didn’t get his first extended MLB opportunity until 2022. After signing a minor league contract with the Red Sox, Danish logged 40 1/3 innings over 32 relief outings in Boston. He worked to a 5.13 ERA with a below-average 18.5% strikeout percentage, although he showed solid control and kept the ball on the ground at a solid 47.2% clip.

Danish hasn’t reached the majors since the Red Sox waived him at the conclusion of the ’22 season. He signed successive minor league deals with the Yankees and Nationals a year ago. Danish spent a couple months with Washington’s Triple-A affiliate, where he posted a 3.72 ERA in 29 innings out of the bullpen. That solid run prevention figure wasn’t supported by middling strikeout and walk numbers, though, and Washington decided against calling him up when he triggered an opt-out in his deal last July. He remained on the open market until his cameo in the Mexican League served as a springboard for his next minor league chance.

Colorado has had a predictably rough rotation. No team has gotten a worse ERA from their starting staff than the Rox’s 6.29 mark. Opening Day starter Kyle Freeland recently suffered an elbow strain that’ll cost him upwards of a month. That pushed Peter Lambert from long relief to the rotation, where he joins Austin Gomber, Cal Quantrill, Ryan Feltner and offseason pickup Dakota Hudson. Righty Noah Davis might’ve been the next man up, but he recently suffered a shoulder strain and is going on the minor league injured list (as reflected on the MLB.com injury tracker).

Rockies Notes: Bryant, Jones, Freeland, Gilbreath

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Kris Bryant’s frustrating Rockies tenure continued last week when the former MVP went on the injured list thanks to a lower back strain. The placement was retroactive to April 14, so he would be eligible to return tomorrow. That’s not going to happen, as manager Bud Black told reporters that the first baseman/outfielder hasn’t been cleared for baseball activities (X link via Patrick Lyons).

Black stressed that surgery is not on the table, but there’s no timeline for Bryant’s return. Injuries have been a recurring theme throughout his first three seasons in Denver. Bryant’s 2022 campaign was ended in August by plantar fasciitis in his left foot. He had multi-week absences for a heel contusion and a broken finger last year. The four-time All-Star has appeared in 135 games with Colorado, tallying 571 plate appearances. He owns a middling .249/.329/.391 batting line, including a .149/.273/.255 mark over 13 games this year.

Elehuris Montero has taken over as the primary first baseman with Bryant out. The 25-year-old has yet to take advantage of the opportunity. Montero entered tonight’s game against the Padres with a .210/.250/.226 slash in 68 plate appearances. Only the Astros have gotten less offensive production from their first basemen overall.

The corner outfield hasn’t been much better. Colorado’s left fielders entered play Tuesday with a .149/.237/.253 line, placing 28th (above the Dodgers and White Sox) by measure of wRC+. That’s mostly because of a tough start from Nolan Jones, who was arguably the team’s best player in 2023. After an impressive .297/.389/.542 showing last year, Jones has started the ’24 campaign with a .148/.219/.250 slash. He snapped an 0-26 skid with a base hit in tonight’s win over San Diego but was removed from the game in the seventh inning.

Colorado announced that Jones experienced some back stiffness (relayed by Luke Zahlmann of the Denver Gazette). The Rox will hope it’s nothing more than a blip as the 25-year-old tries to recapture last year’s form. Jake Cave came off the bench to finish the game in left and could pick up a few more at-bats if Jones needs any time off.

Injuries have also been a story on the other side of the ball. Colorado went into the season without Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela as they rehab from Tommy John procedures. Kyle Freeland went on the shelf with an elbow injury last week. The southpaw indicated that testing revealed a small strain in his UCL but seemed optimistic about the prognosis, suggesting that doctors didn’t expect it to worsen (link via MLB.com’s Thomas Harding). The Rockies have floated a four-to-six week timeline for Freeland’s return.

In more positive news, lefty reliever Lucas Gilbreath took a significant step forward in the recovery from his March 2023 Tommy John procedure. Colorado sent Gilbreath to Triple-A Albuquerque to begin a minor league rehab assignment. The results weren’t great — two runs on a hit and two walks with one out — yet it’s more notable that he was able to toss 18 pitches in his first affiliated game action since August 2022.

Now 28, Gibreath turned in solid results between 2021-22. He logged 85 2/3 innings with a 3.78 ERA, punching out a quarter of opponents. While he’s had below-average command, Gilbreath looked the part of a potential setup option before the surgery.

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