DENVER — The Rockies made several moves this morning.
First, the team has optioned struggling reliever Miguel Castro to Triple-A Albuquerque, according to Jenny Cavnar of ROOT Sports. Since the Rockies recalled Castro to the majors on June 14, the 21-year-old right-handed reliever has pitched 2 1/3 innings in five games, during which he’s allowed three runs. The sample is extremely small, but this puts his struggles into perspective: of the 15 batters Castro has faced in those innings, he’s given up seven hits and walked one batter. He only struck out two.
“First and foremost we need arms,” Walt Weiss told reporters, “there are some things Miguel needs to work on and he’ll do that. But we definitely needed some arms.”
Castro has great stuff, but giving him time in the minors to figure things out is the right decision. In particular, Weiss indicated that Castro needs to focus on his mechanics. “There are some elements of this that are tied to his mechanics,” Weiss suggested, “his fastball command has been a little sketchy lately and we feel getting that back is key. He’s young, he’s just 21 years old. The future is still very bright. It’s just a matter of consistency with him.”
Second, the Rockies have selected the contract of left-handed starting pitcher Yohan Flande, who will return to the major-league team for the first time in 2016, but for the third consecutive year. The now 30-year-old Flande has appeared in 35 games and started 20 since 2014. He has a career 4.90 ERA and an adjusted DRA of 5.04. In other words, ERA predictors suggest that we’ve seen the real Yohan Flande. Because the Rockies had an open spot on the 40-man roster, this transaction does not come with a corresponding move. Flande is likely to enter the bullpen, but he could make spot starts as well.
And yet, Flande has proven to be valuable, despite the ugly surface numbers. He’s reliable and consistent. Weiss said as much: “Flande’s been doing his thing in the minors. He’s a strike thrower, he’s versatile and we have confidence in him.”
Additionally, the Rockies made some moves in the minors. The Rockies have promoted left-handed starter Kyle Freeland from Double- to Triple-A, according to Rockies Roster. In 88 1/3 innings and 14 starts for Double-A Hartford, Freeland has posted a 3.78 ERA. His peripherals aren’t very impressive, as he’s walked 2.5 batters per nine and only struck out 5.2 per nine innings pitched.
Finally, the Rockies have placed right-haded starter Antonio Senzatela on the 7-day disabled list. This will be Senzatela’s second stint on the DL this season. In seven starts, Senzatela has impressed with a 1.82 ERA. He’s struck out seven batters per nine innings and has walked 2.3 per nine. The Freeland and Senzatela moves leave two open spots in the Hartford starting rotation, although only one of them looks like it will require a permanent replacement.