The Colorado Rockies announced today that they have claimed LHP Bernardo Flores Jr. off of waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals and assigned him to the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. In a corresponding move, RHP Ryan Castellani has been designated for assignment.
Flores, 25, was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the seventh round of the 2016 draft by the Chicago White Sox. He made his MLB debut in September 2020, making just two appearances for the South Siders. In those two appearances, he pitched two innings and allowed two runs on four hits while striking out two batters. Flores was claimed off waivers by the Cardinals on Opening Day 2021, where he made one appearance before being DFA’d and claimed again by the Rockies.
For more info on Flores’ minor league career, you can read this write-up by South Side Sox.
Castellani has appeared in just one game for the Rockies this year, tossing 3 1⁄3 innings in a spot start on May 4. He received limited work in spring training, plagued by command issues that forced him out of the stadium games and onto the spring backfields. He seemed to work out those struggles at the April alternate site and was able to collect big league work this year, but his figures in Triple-A Albuquerque (7.82 ERA, 35 2⁄3 IP) have done little to cement his big league status. Castellani has allowed 12 earned runs in his last 13 innings with the Isotopes.
Castellani now joins reliever Joe Harvey on the waiver wire; both are no longer on the Rockies’ 40-man roster and they can be claimed by any other team.
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Purple Row will continue to monitor this, and provide updates as they become available.