Ty Blach

Rockies Designate Jorge Alfaro For Assignment, Activate Kris Bryant

By Anthony Franco | June 30, 2023 at 5:12pm CDT

The Rockies announced they have designated catcher Jorge Alfaro for assignment. The move clears a spot on the active and 40-man rosters for left-hander Ty Blach, who was selected onto the MLB club. Colorado also placed reliever Matt Carasiti on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder and reinstated Kris Bryant from the 10-day IL.

Alfaro spent a little over two weeks on the Colorado roster. The Rockies signed the veteran backstop to a minor league deal on June 10 and selected his contract five days later. Colorado has run a three-catcher system since then, keeping Austin Wynns and Alfaro on the bench behind Elias Díaz. Alfaro picked up 32 plate appearances, slumping to a .161/.188/.387 line with 12 strikeouts and zero walks.

Colorado will stick with Díaz and Wynns as the MLB tandem. Brian Serven is also on the 40-man roster and on optional assignment to Triple-A Albuquerque. Colorado will trade Alfaro or put him on waivers within the next week. If he clears waivers, he’ll have the ability to head back to free agency based on his MLB service time.

That seems the likeliest outcome. Alfaro hasn’t had much major league success of late, hitting .239/.279/.360 with a 34.2% strikeout rate through 717 plate appearances since the start of 2020. The Colombian-born backstop has had an excellent season in Triple-A, though, putting up a .323/.366/.524 line between the Red Sox’s and Rockies’ top affiliates.

Bryant returns to the MLB roster, which the club had suggested yesterday. The former MVP is hitting second and back in right field tonight against Detroit righty Michael Lorenzen. He missed a month with a left heel contusion, the second straight season he’s been bothered by a foot issue. Bryant is hitting .263/.346/.374 in his second season in Denver.

Blach returns to the big leagues two months after clearing waivers. The 32-year-old made six relief appearances in April, allowing 13 runs in 11 innings. He has pitched reasonably well in Albuquerque, working to a 4.40 ERA over 30 2/3 innings in an extraordinarily tough environment for pitchers. Blach doesn’t throw hard or miss many bats; he’s a control specialist who induced grounders at a quality 54.6% clip for the Isotopes this season. He’ll offer skipper Bud Black a long relief option for the middle innings.

Rockies Outright Ty Blach

By Anthony Franco | May 2, 2023 at 11:21pm CDT

Rockies left-hander Ty Blach has gone unclaimed on waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Albuquerque, tweets Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette. As a player who has previously been outrighted in his career, he’ll have the right to decline the assignment in favor of minor league free agency.

Blach spent the 2022 campaign in Colorado. The Denver native first signed with his hometown franchise going into last year and made the MLB roster in the season’s first week. He bounced between the majors and Triple-A, working 44 1/3 innings of 5.89 ERA ball at the highest level. At year’s end, Colorado outrighted him and sent him to free agency. Blach returned on a minor league pact a couple months into the offseason and earned another MLB job out of Spring Training.

The 32-year-old southpaw appeared in six games through the season’s first month. He tossed 11 innings, allowing 13 runs (10 earned) with four strikeouts and two walks. While Blach has never been one to miss many bats, this year’s 4.6% swinging strike percentage was the lowest of his career. Colorado took him off the roster over the weekend when Randal Grichuk returned from the injured list.

Blach has now appeared in parts of six big league campaigns. Between the Giants, Orioles and Rockies, he carries a 5.19 ERA in 381 2/3 innings. Most of his early-career work was out of the rotation but he’s pitched primarily in shorter stints since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020.

Rockies Reinstate Randal Grichuk From 10-Day IL, DFA Ty Blach

By Simon Hampton and Mark Polishuk | April 29, 2023 at 2:37pm CDT

The Rockies announced that outfielder Randal Grichuk has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. To create room on the active roster, Colorado designated left-hander Ty Blach for assignment.

Grichuk underwent surgery in early February to correct a bilateral sports hernia, and the outfielder’s recovery sidelined him through all of Spring Training. As a result, Grichuk spent the first month of the season in extended spring camp and then an eight-game minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Albuquerque. Though Grichuk has struggled to a meager .288 OPS over 36 Triple-A plate appearances, he is apparently healthy and the Rockies feel he’s ready to return to the big league lineup.

Acquired in a trade with the Blue Jays in March 2022, Grichuk hit .259/.299/.425 with 19 homers over 538 PA with Colorado last season. Between the lack of offense (88 wRC+) and mixed reviews on his defense in right and center field, Grichuk was below the replacement-level line in 2022, with -0.2 fWAR.

Assuming everyone stays healthy, Grichuk likely won’t be getting regular at-bats this season. Kris Bryant and Jurickson Profar have gotten most of the corner outfield work, and the Rockies are giving Charlie Blackmon the occasional start in the corners when he isn’t a DH. Yonathan Daza is currently dealing with a hand injury, so center field might be an avenue for Grichuk to garner some playing time until Daza is better.

Just like in 2022, Blach signed a minor league deal with the Rockies in the offseason and then earned a spot on the Opening Day roster. While Blach didn’t fare too well (5.89 ERA in 44 1/3 innings) in a long relief role last season, things have been even rougher this year, as Blach has allowed at least one run in five of his six outings en route to an 8.18 ERA over 11 innings.

If Blach clears waivers and is outrighted off Colorado’s 40-man roster, he has the ability to reject that assignment and become a free agent. Should he not want to test the open market again, Blach could accept the outright assignment and remain at Triple-A as bullpen depth.

Rockies To Select Mike Moustakas, Ty Blach, Harold Castro

By Nick Deeds | March 25, 2023 at 8:26pm CDT

Infielder Mike Moustakas has told reporters, including Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette, that the Rockies have informed him that he’s made the club’s Opening Day roster. Moustakas, 34, signed with the Rockies after being released by the Reds earlier this offseason. As Moustakas is still owed $22MM of his four-year, $64MM contract with the Reds, the Rockies will only pay Moustakas the big-league minimum salary of $720,000 this season.

In addition, the Rockies are set to select the contract of left-hander Ty Blach, sources tell MLBTR’s Steve Adams. Allentuck adds that infielder Harold Castro will also be on Colorado’s Opening Day roster, and that Brendan Rodgers, Sean Bouchard, and Ryan Rolison were moved to the 60-day IL to clear 40-man roster space for Moustakas, Blach, and Castro.

Over twelve seasons as a big leaguer, Moustakas has proven to be a roughly league-average bat with a career slash line of .247/.308/.434 (97 wRC+). That being said, he was an above average regular from 2015 to 2020, as he slashed .262/.326/.490 with a wRC+ of 113 in 661 games for the Royals, Brewers, and Reds. The past two seasons have been difficult for Moustakas, however. In 140 games between 2021 and 2022, Moustakas has struck out in 24.6% of plate appearances, a significant leap from his career 16.8% rate. Between that strikeout rate and a dip in slugging (his .145 ISO from 2021-2022 is a step back from his career level of .187), it’s no surprise that the aging slugger struggled to a wRC+ of just 73 the past two seasons.

Despite his struggles, the Rockies decided to take a chance on Moustakas following Rodgers’s shoulder injury this spring, which will likely cause him to miss the 2023 campaign. Moustakas figures to be the everyday third baseman for the Rockies, with Ryan McMahon sliding over to second to cover for the injured Rodgers.

With top prospect Ezequiel Tovar entrenched at shortstop, Castro appears set to play for the Rockies in a utility role this season. Such a role is familiar to Castro, who has played every position on the diamond except catcher during his career. Since debuting with the Tigers in 2018, Castro has appeared in 351 games, slashing .284/.309/.377 for a wRC+ of 88, just below the league average of 100. Despite that mediocre slash line, Castro still provides a versatile lefty bat off the bench for the Rockies.

Blach, meanwhile, figures to slot into a long relief role for the Rockies. With 370 2/3 career major league innings under his belt, Blach has a 5.10 ERA, good for an ERA+ of just 82, though his 4.35 FIP and a strand rate of just 55.4% in 71 1/3 innings since the start of the 2019 season indicate there may be bad luck baked into his run prevention numbers. With his first season following Tommy John surgery in 2020 under his belt, the 32 year-old Blach will look to bounceback into the swing role he held for the Giants from 2016 until 2019.

Rockies Agree To Minor League Deals With Ty Blach, Josh Rogers

By Anthony Franco | January 10, 2023 at 7:53pm CDT

The Rockies have brought in a pair of left-handers — Ty Blach and Josh Rogers — on minor league contracts, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com (Twitter link). Both pitchers will be in big league camp as non-roster invitees.

Blach returns for a second season with the Rox. A Denver native, he signed a non-roster pact last winter. The veteran made the Opening Day roster and spent the year as a long relief option for skipper Bud Black. Blach threw 44 1/3 innings across 24 appearances, working to a 5.89 ERA. He only struck out 15% of opponents but walked a minuscule 5.7% of batters faced and put up a decent 43% ground-ball rate. At the end of the season, Colorado ran him through outright waivers. He elected minor league free agency but has now circled back to Colorado for another year.

The 32-year-old has never been overpowering. Blach sits in the low-90s with his fastball and doesn’t miss many bats. He’s typically shown solid control and kept the ball on the ground over parts of five big league campaigns. Blach had a fair bit of run as a starting pitcher with the division-rival Giants between 2017-18. It’s possible he gets a look as rotation depth or battles for the kind of multi-inning role out of the bullpen he had last season.

It’s a similar story with Rogers. As with Blach, he’s a soft-tossing control specialist. Rogers has pitched at the MLB level in four of the last five seasons. He spent his first two campaigns with the Orioles, starting three of eight appearances. After not reaching the majors in 2020, he returned late in 2021 with the Nationals. Rogers posted a 3.28 ERA over six starts for a rebuilding Washington club late in the year, securing his spot on the 40-man roster over the following offseason.

The 28-year-old returned to Washington last season but didn’t recapture his prior year’s success. Working out of the bullpen for all but three of his 16 outings, he allowed a 5.13 ERA through 26 1/3 frames. His 10.6% strikeout rate narrowly topped his 9.7% walk percentage and he surrendered just over two homers per nine innings. Washington let him go shortly after the trade deadline.

Rogers hooked on with the Marlins on a minor league pact after that. He got the ball nine times with their top affiliate in Jacksonville, putting up a 4.75 ERA across 47 1/3 frames. Miami never gave him a big league look, and he returned to free agency at season’s end. He’ll join Blach in serving as rotation or long relief depth with Colorado.

Rockies Outright Three Players

By Anthony Franco | November 9, 2022 at 5:11pm CDT

The Rockies announced they’ve outrighted three players — pitchers Ty Blach and Helcris Olivarez and outfielder Wynton Bernard — off their 40-man roster. Colorado also confirmed the losses of catcher Dom Nuñez and infielder Ryan Vilade on waivers. Removing those five from the 40-man drops their tally to 32.

A former Giants starter, Blach inked a minor league deal with his hometown Rockies over the offseason. He made Colorado’s roster out of Spring Training and pitched in long relief. Blach soaked up 44 1/3 mostly low-leverage innings for the Rox, posting a 5.89 ERA. The soft-tossing southpaw only struck out 15% of batters faced but had an excellent 5.7% walk rate and a useful 43% grounder rate. He has between three and four years of big league service and would’ve been eligible for arbitration this offseason. Blach was only projected for an $800K salary, but the Rox will reallocate his roster spot.

Olivarez has never pitched in the big leagues. Colorado selected him onto the 40-man roster over the 2020-21 offseason to keep him being taken in the Rule 5 draft. The hard-throwing southpaw had been a quality prospect during his early days in the farm system, but he managed only a 6.05 ERA in 99 2/3 High-A innings in 2021. He spent almost all of this year on the injured list with a shoulder strain.

Bernard is a minor league veteran who began his professional career a decade ago. He made his MLB debut at age 32 this August, earning the long-awaited call after a .333/.387/.590 showing in Triple-A. He started 10 games in the big leagues and collected 12 hits in 42 at-bats, but he didn’t draw a walk and only managed one extra-base hit (a double).

Blach and Bernard have the right to refuse an outright assignment in favor of minor league free agency. Olivarez, on the other hand, will stick in the organization for 2023 and look to work his way back onto the 40-man roster.

Injury Notes: Padres, Rangers, Rockies

By TC Zencka | June 11, 2022 at 2:22pm CDT

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.

Rockies Select Ty Blach

By Anthony Franco | April 4, 2022 at 6:32pm CDT

The Rockies announced this afternoon they’ve selected left-hander Ty Blach. The Denver native returns to the majors for the first time in three years, doing so with his hometown club. To create space on the 40-man roster, Colorado placed southpaw Ryan Rolison on the 60-day injured list.

Blach pitched in the majors each season from 2016-19. He spent the majority of that time in the NL West, suiting up with the Giants. Blach soaked up 163 2/3 innings for San Francisco in 2017, posting a 4.78 ERA. He never missed many bats, but the Creighton product filled up the strike zone and posted better than average ground-ball numbers.

After a capable first few seasons in the majors, Blach had a rough showing in 2019. He served up ten runs in his first 6 1/3 frames as a Giant that year, leading the club to designate him for assignment. Baltimore claimed him off waivers, and he made five starts for the Orioles down the stretch. Blach’s results weren’t any better there either, as he served up an 11.32 ERA. The O’s designated him that September, and he cleared waivers.

Blach returned to the Orioles as a non-roster invitee to 2020 Summer Camp, but he suffered an elbow injury that necessitated Tommy John surgery. He returned late in 2021 to toss 15 Low-A innings on a rehab assignment, but for all intents and purposes, the procedure cost him the last two seasons.

After qualifying for minor league free agency, Blach signed a minors deal with the Rox. He’ll break camp with the big league team, presumably in a long relief capacity. While he has experience as a starter, Colorado is set to open the year with a rotation of Germán Márquez, Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela, Austin Gomber and Chad Kuhl. The depth behind that group is pretty thin, however, meaning Blach could get a look in the event of an injury to any of the starting five.

Rolison was among the depth options, but he’ll miss at least the first two months of the season with what the team is calling a shoulder strain. Thomas Harding of MLB.com reported this afternoon (Twitter link) that he’ll be shut down for two weeks after receiving an anti-inflammatory injection. He’ll need a fair bit of time thereafter to gradually ramp back up, so it’s not a huge surprise the club is ruling him out until at least early June.

A former first-round pick, Rolison has yet to make his big league debut. He made ten starts with Triple-A Albuquerque last season, pitching to a disappointing 5.91 ERA in 45 2/3 innings. Despite those struggles, Baseball America slotted him fourth in the Rockies farm system this winter. According to BA, his plus curveball and command could give Rolison a chance to emerge as a back-of-the-rotation option, but he’ll first need to get healthy.

Rockies, Ty Blach Agree To Minor League Deal

By Anthony Franco | December 17, 2021 at 4:41pm CDT

The Rockies have reached agreement on a minor league contract with southpaw Ty Blach, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com (on Twitter). As Harding notes, it marks a homecoming for Blach, a Denver native.

Blach has pitched in parts of four big league seasons, the bulk of which have come with the division-rival Giants. He shouldered a fairly significant workload between 2017-18 in San Francisco, tallying 282 1/3 innings of 4.56 ERA/4.18 FIP ball during that two-year stretch. That’s decent back-of-the-rotation production, as Blach demonstrated solid control and kept the ball on the ground at a strong 49.7% clip.

Even during his best seasons, Blach never missed many bats though. He’s one of the softer throwers around the league, averaging right around 90 MPH with his sinker. Blach only punched out 12.3% of opponents during that stretch (a mark that’s around ten points lower than the league average for starters) and the Giants placed him on waivers in July 2019. The Orioles claimed Blach and gave him five starts, but he posted an 11.32 ERA across 20 2/3 innings in Baltimore before being outrighted off their 40-man roster.

Blach remained in the organization as a non-roster player, but he underwent Tommy John Surgery in July 2020. He missed a bit more than a year recovering from that procedure, then spent the last few months of the 2021 season rehabbing in the low minors. Blach elected minor league free agency after not getting another call to the bigs in Baltimore.

The 31-year-old will now join his hometown organization in hopes of getting back to the majors for the first time in three seasons. He can presumably serve as either rotation or long relief depth for Colorado, which is likely to open the year with a starting staff of Germán Márquez, Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela, Austin Gomber and Peter Lambert after losing Jon Gray in free agency.

Quick Hits: Ohtani, Cron, Dodgers, Blach

By Mark Polishuk | August 31, 2021 at 11:49am CDT

Shohei Ohtani was originally scheduled to start today’s game against the Yankees, but the two-way star won’t be pitching due to some soreness in his right hand/wrist area. Ohtani was hit by a Ryan Weathers pitch on Saturday and didn’t sustain any structural damage, though the Angels are being cautious with the right-hander. “He’s fine, he’s just sore,” Angels manager Joe Maddon told MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger and other reporters. “Pitching is problematic, so we’ll just have him hit until he’s ready to pitch.”

Ohtani didn’t leave the lineup after being hit on Saturday, and his batting doesn’t appear to be much affected by his hand/wrist issue. He belted his Major League-leading 42nd home run in last night’s 8-7 win over New York, further strengthening Ohtani’s increasingly airtight bid to be the American League’s MVP. Ohtani is now hitting .264/.362/.626 over 516 plate appearances, augmenting his huge hitting numbers with 20 stolen bases and his excellent numbers on the mound (3.00 ERA, 29.9% strikeout rate over 105 innings). While his injury doesn’t seem overly serious, it isn’t yet known when Ohtani might pitch again.

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