Rockies right-hander Germán Márquez landed on the 15-day injured listing final month because of elbow irritation. Supervisor Bud Black tells Manny Randhawa of MLB.com that Márquez gained’t be capable to make it again to the mound this yr. As Randhawa relayed on X, the righty’s ulnar collateral ligament is ok however he has a stress response in his elbow and gained’t be capable to throw for six to eight weeks. Since there’s simply over seven weeks remaining within the common season, he gained’t be coming again this yr.
2024 will finally go down as a largely misplaced season for the righty. He underwent Tommy John surgical procedure in Could of final yr and was capable of come off the injured listing in July. He made only one begin, permitting three earned runs in 4 innings, earlier than going again on the IL.
Right this moment’s information is considerably constructive within the sense that the righty’s UCL isn’t affected and he can have a traditional offseason in preparation for 2025. Nevertheless it’s additionally lower than best for him to be going into subsequent yr with simply 4 innings thrown this yr. Ideally, he would have had the final couple of months of the schedule to compile a good workload to construct off subsequent yr, however that gained’t be doable now.
The Colorado rotation has been a problem this yr, to place it mildly. The membership’s starters have a collective 5.45 earned run common, worst within the majors. That’s not essentially a shock, between the standard challenges of pitching at Coors Subject and the damage points the membership has had. Along with Márquez, Antonio Senzatela has additionally missed your entire season to date because of his personal Tommy John surgical procedure restoration. He’s slated to begin a rehab task tonight. Kyle Freeland additionally missed a few months because of an elbow pressure and has solely made 12 begins this yr.
With Márquez unable to come back again this yr, the group is unlikely to get again on observe anytime quickly. Simply at present, one other domino fell as Ryan Feltner was positioned on the 15-day injured listing with a proper shoulder pressure, although it’s not but identified precisely how a lot time the membership is anticipating him to overlook.
It’s theoretically doable to think about the group being in higher form subsequent yr with with full and wholesome seasons from Márquez, Senzatela and Freeland. The Rockies signed all three of these pitchers to extensions as they envisioned that trio as their rotation core. Márquez was within the closing season of his deal final yr when he went below the knife, however he and the membership subsequently reunited on a second extension that goes by 2025.
The prolonged absence from Márquez complicates issues considerably. He solely tossed 20 innings final yr, which means he’ll be going into 2025 with simply 24 innings thrown within the earlier two seasons. That would result in difficult questions on tips on how to deal with his workload subsequent yr. He did toss 975 1/3 innings from 2017 to 2022 with a 4.38 ERA, tossing between 162 and 196 innings in every full season of that stretch in addition to 81 2/3 frames within the shortened 2020 marketing campaign, nevertheless it’s honest to surprise if his elbow will permit him to easily bounce again to that degree.
There are different inquiries to be answered as properly. As talked about, Senzatela might be rehabbing and will get some main league begins below his belt earlier than the season ends. Freeland has been off the IL for about six weeks now and appears wholesome other than a blister he’s been coping with currently, however he may end with an ERA above 5.00 for the second straight season. Although to be honest, his .348 BABIP and 62.4% strand charge is perhaps clouding issues this yr. His 4.13 FIP and 4.24 SIERA recommend a sunnier outlook.
Cal Quantrill figures to be within the combine since he has yet another arbitration season left and wasn’t traded previous to the deadline. He has a 4.56 ERA over his 23 begins this yr. Feltner is having a good season and might be a part of the calculus as properly, so long as this shoulder damage doesn’t linger into subsequent yr. His even 5.00 ERA doesn’t look nice however his .321 BABIP and and 62.9% strand charge are each on the unfortunate facet. His 20.1% strikeout charge is a bit low however his 7.3% stroll charge and 45.4% floor ball charge are each stable, which is why he has a 4.30 FIP and 4.26 SIERA. Austin Gomber, like Quantrill, may be retained for yet another arbitration season and is having first rate marketing campaign with a 4.66 ERA in 21 begins.
Although this yr has been tough, the membership arguably has six first rate starters available for its 2025 rotation between Márquez, Senzatela, Freeland, Quantrill, Gomber and Feltner. Baseball hardly ever permits golf equipment to observe a script, nonetheless, and the image will undoubtedly change between at times. The most recent on Márquez already places a little bit of a wrench of their plans, although ideally issues will progress properly after his upcoming shutdown interval.
