11 days removed from his last big league outing, Yency Almonte has been activated from the 10-day injured list. To make room on the 26-man roster, the Rockies have optioned right-hander Justin Lawrence to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Almonte was placed on the IL due to a bruised right hand. His last appearance with the big league club came on April 28 in San Francisco, as he recorded a single out and allowed three earned runs. Almonte’s 12.46 ERA on the year is a huge contrast to his 2.93 from a year ago, but a recovered hand could bring him closer to his successes of a year ago.
Since Almonte was placed on the IL, the Rockies’ bullpen has posted a 5.68 ERA. Almonte held the ninth-best bWAR for the Rockies last year, and his efforts in 2020 kept the team bullpen ERA out of the 7’s last year.
Lawrence was called up at the end of April and made his MLB debut on April 29th in Arizona. He has made four big league appearances in his time with the club, tossing a scoreless frame in each of his first two appearances but allowing four earned runs in 2 1⁄3 innings since then. His 8.31 ERA is a sharp contrast to his 3.10 FIP.
Depending on his minor league work and the status of the big league bullpen, Lawrence could soon see a return to the big league roster. Meanwhile, the hitters in the Triple-A West will have to work around some low-3/4 action at 101 MPH.
Lawrence will now take one of the most electrifying deliveries in baseball to Albuquerque as the Isotopes conclude a six-game home set with the Sugar Land Skeeters. The team will have the day off on Wednesday before traveling to El Paso, Texas for another six-game set.