Now that the MLB trade deadline has passed, the Rockies added two pieces — RHP Mychal Givens and OF Pillar. Givens has already arrived in Denver, while Pillar will make his way out on Tuesday.
With the addition of Mychal Givens on Sunday, it was known that the Rockies would need to make a roster move. On Monday, they made four:
The Rockies have activated RHP Mychal Givens and have recalled RHP Antonio Santos. Additionally, they have optioned LHP James Pazos and placed INF Brendan Rodgers on the 10-day IL with a right shoulder capsular strain (retroactive to Aug. 30).
— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) August 31, 2020
Antonio Santos (No. 20 PuRP) will be making his MLB debut when he appears. The 23-year-old played in the Arizona Fall League in 2019, where he began his transition from starting pitcher to reliever. He made eight appearances and threw 13 innings in which he allowed seven runs (four earned) on 18 hits. He also struck out 16 and only walked two batters. He began 2019 repeating High-A Lancaster, but was promoted to Double-A Hartford in July. In Hartford, he posted a 4.93 ERA and 1.250 WHIP in eight starts.
James Pazos has been optioned to the alternate training site for the second time in 11 days. Since his recall on August 21, he has made just two appearances. In his first appearance back, he pitched one inning against the Dodgers on August 23 and walked two batters. In his second appearance against the Padres on August 30, he pitched just 2⁄3 of an inning, allowing three runs on four hits. Two were home runs.
The biggest news of all, though, is that Brendan Rodgers is headed back to the Injured List with a right shoulder capsular strain. Rodgers — the third overall pick in 2015 — made his MLB debut on May 17, 2019 and was sent down on June 15. He was recalled again on June 20, but was placed on the IL just five days later. It was later revealed that Rodgers had been suffering through a shoulder injury and ultimately had season-ending surgery on July 17 to repair a torn right labrum. After spending the offseason recovering, Rodgers was initially assigned to the Rockies alternate training site to start 2020 but was called up on August 19. In 21 at-bats so far, he has slashed .095/.095/.143 with just two hits (one was a double), two RBI, and six strikeouts. Hopefully this shoulder issue isn’t serious and we’ll be able to see B-Rod again in 2020.