The Rockies introduced this afternoon that they’ve chosen the contract of right-hander Matt Koch. Proper-hander Jake Bird was positioned on the 15-day IL with elbow irritation to clear a spot on the membership’s lively roster, whereas infielder Julio Carreras was designated for task to open up a spot on the 40-man roster.
Koch, 33, was a third-round decide by the Mets within the 2012 draft however made his debut with the Diamondbacks in 2016. In elements of 4 seasons with Arizona, Koch swung between the rotation and bullpen however usually struggled badly all through his time within the majors with a 4.88 ERA and 6.00 FIP in 125 1/3 innings. Koch departed the Dbacks group following the 2019 season and didn’t pitch within the massive leagues over the following two seasons earlier than finally resurfacing with the Mariners for 4 appearances in 2022, although he struggled badly with an 8.31 ERA and eight.42 FIP in 4 1/3 frames.
That finally led Koch to signal with the Rockies on a minor league deal previous to the 2023 season. He was a serviceable member of the membership’s bullpen final yr, pitching to a 5.12 ERA (good for a roughly league common 97 ERA+ because of the inflated offensive setting of Coors Discipline) with a roughly matching 5.07 FIP in 39 appearances for Colorado final yr. Whereas he struck out simply 16.6% of batters confronted, he restricted walks to a 5.5% clip whereas producing groundballs and a robust 49% clip. Trying forward, the Rockies are absolutely hoping that Koch will supply the membership satisfactory center reduction from the left-hand aspect as soon as once more this yr, as he’ll enter the membership’s bullpen as the one lefty reduction choice apart from nearer Jalen Beeks.
Making room for Koch on the lively roster is Chicken, who’s headed to the injured checklist with elbow irritation. The 28-year-old righty was a fifth-round decide by the Rockies within the 2018 draft and has pitched for the membership in every of the final three seasons, together with a stable 2023 marketing campaign the place he posted a 4.33 ERA and three.55 FIP in 89 1/3 innings of labor. Whereas that seemingly set Chicken as much as deal with key leverage innings for Colorado out of the bullpen this yr, issues haven’t gone in line with plan as he’s struggled badly to the tune of a 6.10 ERA and almost matching 6.34 FIP in 20 2/3 innings of labor previous to his placement on the injured checklist immediately. Chicken’s timetable for return will not be at the moment clear, although the Rockies are absolutely hoping he’ll look extra like his 2023 self upon his return.
As for Carreras, the 24-year-old first appeared in professional ball with the Rockies again in 2018 and entered the season as a reasonably well-regarded prospect within the membership’s farm system because of his robust infield protection, energy potential, and proximity to the large leagues. That was sufficient for the membership to determine so as to add Carreras to the 40-man roster this winter, and a robust .304/.388/.461 efficiency within the Dominican Winter League this previous offseason seemingly additional arrange Carreras as a possible infield depth choice for the large league membership this yr.
Sadly. Carreras’s prospects have taken a flip for the more severe because the season started. In 38 video games on the Triple-A stage this season, Carreras has slashed simply .181/.247/.269. That’s a tricky slash line to swallow at any stage of professional ball, although it’s particularly weak given the heightened offensive setting of the Pacific Coast League, the place the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate performs its video games. Colorado can have one week to both commerce Carreras or try to move him by waivers. If he efficiently clears waivers, the Rockies can have the chance to assign Carreras outright to the minor leagues and keep him as non-roster depth.
