The Rockies are set to lean even harder into their youth movement as September arrives, and two familiar names appear to be next in line for a shot.
Colorado entered the final day of August at 52-85, still needing 11 wins to keep from hitting 100 losses. With the season winding down, the club has already spent plenty of time looking at young talent like Kyle Karros, TJ Rumfield, and Cole Carrigg, and the roster is about to get a little bigger. September brings the MLB roster expansion from 26 players to 28, and the Rockies are expected to use that extra room on two younger pieces.
No official call-up has been announced, but Kevin Henry of the Denver Gazette reported on X that two players now have lockers in the Colorado clubhouse, a strong sign that something is coming Tuesday.
One of those players is expected to be Blas Castano, who would add pitching depth for the stretch run. Castano is not a rookie, and he has already logged big-league time with Colorado this season. In 10 games, he put together a 3.92 ERA over 20.2 innings with 17 strikeouts, though he also issued six walks and finished with a 1.35 WHIP.
His Triple-A work has been solid as well. With the Albuquerque Isotopes, Castano has appeared in 23 games and posted a 2.76 ERA across just under 30 innings. His control was sharper there, too, as he turned in a 1.13 WHIP while allowing 14 walks and striking out 23.
The other player with a locker at Coors Field is infielder Adael Amador, another young Rockie who could be pushing to stick at the MLB level. Amador has already had a taste of the majors this season and made a strong impression in a short run. In five games before going back to Triple-A, he hit .300 with one home run, six RBIs, and an OPS of 1.162.
At Albuquerque, Amador has kept producing. He is hitting .269 with 11 home runs and 63 RBIs in 376 at-bats for the Isotopes this season, giving Colorado another in-house option to evaluate as the calendar flips to September.
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Hunter Goodman Just Entered A Trade Conversation Rockies Fans Should Watch
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Hunter Goodman has already surfaced as one of the names worth tracking for Colorado fans, not just because he fits the profile of a player who could draw serious interest, but because the market around him may depend on whether other top catchers move first. If someone like William Contreras is dealt, Goodman becomes even more intriguing in a thin class, putting the Rockies in the middle of a decision that could shape their offseason long before spring training arrives. [Read more 🡒]
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Baltimore now turns to a three-game series against Colorado, with Tanner Gordon lined up to start for the Rockies. The home side will also be without rookie Cole Carrigg for the next few days after manager Warren Schaeffer disciplined him over an inappropriate gesture toward fans, a reminder that the Rockies are trying to manage both the scoreboard and the atmosphere as this series gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
TJ Rumfield Is Giving The Rockies A First Base Answer They Needed
TJ Rumfield has given the Rockies something they have been trying to sort out for a while, a legitimate answer at first base. Acquired from the Yankees, he has settled in quickly in his first season in Colorado and turned what looked like a routine addition into one of the more valuable developments on the roster. His production has stood out not just for the raw numbers, but for the way it has outperformed what the Rockies could reasonably have expected before the year began.
Through 134 games, Rumfield has put together a 3.3 bWAR season with 13 home runs and a .290/.383/.437 slash line, good for a 116 OPS+. His .383 on-base percentage ranks fourth in the National League, which helps explain why he has become such an important piece for Colorado. For a club that needed clarity at first, Rumfield has brought it, and the Rockies now have a real stake in seeing whether this version of him is the one that sticks. [Read more 🡒]