In desperate need of starting pitching, the Colorado Rockies announced they have claimed Chase Anderson off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. The move was first reported by MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Anderson, 35, was recently designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays following a brief two-game stint with the team in which he threw five scoreless innings.
The Rockies announced today that they have claimed right-handed pitcher Chase Anderson off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays.
— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) May 12, 2023
The Rockies have 39 players on the 40-man roster.https://t.co/XrcQb7AKt7
Originally drafted and signed out of the University of Oklahoma in the ninth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2009, Anderson made his big league debut in 2014 with Arizona. After two seasons in the desert in which he compiled a 4.18 ERA across 48 starts, Anderson was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers after the 2015 season where he would spend the next four seasons.
In Milwaukee, he compiled a 3.83 ERA across 118 games and tossed a total of 590 innings. His best season came in 2017 when he went 12-4 with a 2.74 ERA across 141 1⁄3 innings of work. Following the 2019 season, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays and has seen his success drop off since 2020 during his brief stints with Philadelphia and Cincinnati. Since 2019, he is sporting a 6.51 ERA.
Anderson mainly utilizes a three-pitch mix of a four-seam fastball, cutter, and changeup as well as various sinkers, curveballs, and sliders. He is a groundball pitcher, inducing grounders 37.7% of the time in his career, including a rate of 50% in 2022 and 2023. He owns a career walk rate of 8% and a 20.1% strikeout rate.
He is expected to join a Rockies rotation that has been left vulnerable this season. Germán Márquez is out for the year due to Tommy John surgery, Noah Davis is still on the injured list from elbow inflammation, and Antonio Senzatela left his last start with what turned out to be pain near his elbow. Anderson’s addition could mean that Senzatela’s injury is significant.
Despite the lack of depth, the Rockies have managed to make things work with Kyle Freeland, Austin Gomber, Ryan Feltner, and Connor Seabold, but Anderson will provide some durability insurance that the team needs for the time being.
The Rockies currently have 39 players on the 40-man roster.
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