The Rockies announced Saturday afternoon that José Mujica will soon anticipate his third career big league appearance:
The Rockies have recalled RHP José Mujica from Triple-A Albuquerque and have optioned RHP Antonio Santos to Triple-A.
— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) July 3, 2021
Mujica was acquired by the Rockies in November 2019, just months removed from Tommy John surgery. He made his MLB debut on September 8, 2020 but his body of work last season was limited to just two appearances—in which he allowed a combined six earned runs in 4 1⁄3 innings. Mujica signed with the Rays when he was 17, acclimating to minor league routines only to have them thrown off with UCL reconstruction and a global pandemic in the past two seasons. A return to normalcy has not been favorable in 2021, however; he has posted a 6.91 ERA in Triple-A over nine starts (43 IP).
Antonio Santos has been sent back down to Triple-A after three appearances with the big league club. He tossed a combined four innings with the Rockies in those outings, allowing two runs (one earned). His last Triple-A start was on May 11; since then, Santos has been designated as a reliever and has surpassed the two-inning threshold just once.
In swapping Santos for Mujica, the Rockies are equipped with an arm that is able to handle an extended workload. Mujica has pitched five or more innings in his last six starts, while Santos has thrown two innings or less in 80 percent of his games this year.
Ryan Castellani is now scheduled to start in Triple-A this evening, in place of Mujica.