It looks like we’ll get a major topic of conversation resolved either today or tomorrow — at least for a little while. The Rockies intend to call up top prospect Brendan Rodgers, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com.
It’s not clear yet what the corresponding move will be. There are really two possibilities. One, the Rockies could simply send the recently re-called Pat Valaika back down to Triple-A. Or two, they could place Trevor Story on the 10-day injured list. Story departed Wednesday night’s game in the ninth inning after colliding with outfielder Raimel Tapia. The team is calling the injury a “bone bruise,” which isn’t serious in the long term but can definitely land a player on the IL.
The next big question will be how much playing time the 22-year-old Rodgers gets. Their recent past suggests that he’ll get called up, sit on the bench for at least the first game he’s in the majors, start a few times over the course of ten days or so, and head back to Triple-A. That formula could be different this time if Story is out of the lineup because their only other option at shortstop is Valaika, and there wouldn’t be any reason to give Valaika more playing time than Rodgers.
If Rodgers is up to play shortstop while Story recovers, I hope he starts every single game. The man’s hitting .356/.421/.644 in Triple-A right now, so let’s give him as many chances as possible to sustain that hitting. The best case scenario here is that Rodgers handles major league pitching right away and forces the Rockies to make a decision about second base once Story is ready to come back.
But that’s all for the short-term future. For now, it will be exciting enough to see the organization’s top prospect make his major league debut.