Rockies 40-Man Cuts Hint At A Telling Offseason Depth Decision

In a strategic roster shake-up, the Rockies clear room while sending one promising pitcher to Triple-A amid a wave of roster moves.

The Rockies trimmed four names from their 40-man roster, with infielder Chad Stevens and right-handers Blake Adams, Eiberson Castellano and TJ Shook all coming off the board after clearing outright waivers.

Stevens, Castellano and Shook have all chosen free agency. Adams, meanwhile, stays in the organization and has been sent to Triple-A Albuquerque. Colorado’s 40-man roster now sits at 37.

Adams, 26, is the one player in the group who remains under club control. A 2022 13th-round pick out of Kansas State, he doesn’t have the prior outright or the seven years in the minors needed to elect free agency.

He was called up on August 24 and made his big league debut that night, working one inning against the Nationals and giving up five runs, including a Daylen Lile homer. In the minors this season, he posted a 6.29 ERA with a 16.5% strikeout rate as a multi-inning reliever.

Shook’s path out of the roster came after a brief run in the majors. Picked up in the minor league portion of last year’s Rule 5 draft, he got his first MLB call in June and made five appearances, surrendering seven runs in 7 2/3 innings. He logged a 3.45 ERA over 57 1/3 innings for Albuquerque, though he works as a fly-ball pitcher and sits in the 92-93 mph range with his fastball.

Castellano also reached the majors in June for his debut. His lone big league outing turned into a three-inning save in a blowout win over the A’s, and that remains his only appearance at the highest level. The Venezuela native handled a swing role for the Isotopes and finished with a 4.47 ERA across 112 2/3 innings.

Stevens, a 27-year-old depth infielder, signed a minor league deal over the offseason and got into 16 games for Colorado. He went just 1-for-28 at the plate, but he did put together a strong .316/.409/.464 line in 99 games against Triple-A pitching.

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