The Rockies made a pair of camp cuts on Tuesday, optioning right-hander Tanner Gordon and second baseman Adael Amador. Both players will open the season in Triple-A Albuquerque.
Gordon made 15 starts a year ago, holding a rotation spot throughout the second half. The 28-year-old righty allowed a 6.33 ERA with a modest 18.4% strikeout rate. Gordon pitched well this spring, striking out 12 against two walks across 11 innings. He only surrendered eight hits and two runs. It wasn’t enough to overcome last year’s regular season production to hold a spot in a revamped Colorado rotation.
The Rockies signed Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano to one-year deals. They’ll all hold rotation spots behind Kyle Freeland, whom the Rox have tabbed as their Opening Day starter for a third straight season (and franchise-record fifth overall). That leaves one spot in the season-opening staff up for grabs.
Thomas Harding of MLB.com writes that the Rockies still haven’t decided whether they’ll go with Ryan Feltner or Chase Dollander. Feltner is the more experienced pitcher and made 30 starts with a 4.49 ERA and league average peripherals back in 2024. He was limited to six MLB appearances last year by injury, most notably back spasms.
Dollander is coming off a frustrating rookie season, allowing a 6.52 ERA across his first 21 starts. He pitched fairly well on the road (3.46 ERA with a 22.2% strikeout rate in 52 innings) but was destroyed for 55 runs over 46 frames at Coors Field. The 24-year-old Dollander is a former top 10 overall pick who is one of the most important players with the organization in a complete rebuild.
Neither pitcher has done much to impress this spring. Dollander has walked seven and hit three batters in 14 innings. He has given up 11 runs (1o earned) on 18 hits with 10 strikeouts. Feltner has been rocked for 13 runs with 10 walks in 11 2/3 frames. Gordon handily outperformed both of them in camp, but he’s a lower-ceiling pitcher whom the front office evidently wasn’t seriously considering for a spot on the Opening Day roster.
The Rockies are expected to keep Antonio Senzatela in a long relief role. Dollander and Feltner both have minor league options. Whomever doesn’t win the fifth starter job will probably begin the season alongside Gordon in the Albuquerque rotation. Gabriel Hughes and McCade Brown are the other depth starters on the 40-man roster. They were both optioned out in early March.
As for Amador, it’s moderately disappointing that he didn’t win a roster spot. The switch-hitting infielder has been one of the team’s more well-known prospects for a few seasons. Amador hasn’t hit at all in 51 MLB games over the past two years, batting .176/.242/.250 through 164 plate appearances.
His Spring Training production (.229/.270/.429 with two homers in 12 games) wasn’t good. Amador is coming off a strong .303/.405/.478 season with more walks than strikeouts in Triple-A, though that comes with the caveat of Albuquerque’s very hitter-friendly environment. Colorado acquired Edouard Julien from the Twins and signed utilityman Willi Castro to a two-year free agent deal to factor in at second base. They can each move to a corner infield spot (first and third base, respectively) if the Rockies decide to take another look at Amador midseason.
