Rockies promote Blair Calvo, option Karl Kauffmann

The Colorado Rockies announced Tuesday they have called up right-handed reliever Blair Calvo from Triple-A Albuquerque and subsequently optioned Karl Kauffmann to Triple-A.

Calvo. 27, looks to make his major league debut after being drafted by the Rockies in the 23rd round in 2019 out of Flagler College in Florida. Since 2021, Calvo has seen his stock rise with the Rockies, earning a spot on the 40-man roster last season. In four minor league seasons, Calvo has a 4.86 ERA in 153 ²⁄₃ innings of work with 187 strikeouts and 62 walks. His best season so far came in the 2022 season in which he posted a 3.09 ERA in 35 innings of work with Double-A Hartford where he also struck out 47 batters against 11 walks.

Currently in Triple-A this season, Calvo has an 8.50 ERA in 18 innings that has been inflated due to a handful of bad outings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He is sporting a much more favorable 13.0 K/9 compared to a 4.5 BB/9. He has been effective when he’s on and isn’t prone to give up the long ball.

Karl Kauffmann’s first stint with the big league club was less than ideal. Across three starts, Kauffmann ended up pitching 12 ²⁄₃ innings, allowing 16 runs on 20 hits, including three home runs, resulting in an 11.37 ERA. He showed instances of quality in his three starts, tallying seven strikeouts but also struggled with his command as evidenced by seven walks. He typically ran into trouble a second time through the lineup. He’ll head back to Albuquerque in an effort to build back some confidence and refine his control.

It remains to be seen how long Calvo will stick with the Rockies. Dinelson Lamet is expected to be activated from the injured list and join the starting rotation on Wednesday, leaving a corresponding move a mystery for now.

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