The Rockies announced Tuesday that they’ve released veteran first baseman Matt Adams. His spot on the roster will go to infielder Rio Ruiz, who has been recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque.
Adams, 32, appeared in 22 games with the Rox but was deployed largely as a pinch-hitter. He’s posted a .167/.250/.194 batting line in 40 plate appearances this season and had accumulated just five plate appearances since coming off the injured list 17 days ago.
Adams slugged 20 home runs with the 2019 Nationals but did so with a .226 batting average and a .276 on-base percentage. His last season of above-average overall production came back in 2018, when he slashed .239/.309/.477 with a career-high 21 homers. Overall, Adams is a .258/.306/.463 hitter in more than 2600 Major League plate appearances. Nearly all the damage he’s done has come against right-handed pitching, as lefties have carved him up to the tune of a .210/.241/.378 slash line.
Ruiz, 27, was a waiver pickup out of the Orioles organization in late May. Baltimore designated him for assignment after he’d struggled to a .220/.292/.380 batting line across multiple auditions from 2019-21. While he obviously wasn’t able to establish himself with the O’s, Ruiz has batted .314/.375/.523 (118 wRC+) in a hitter-friendly Albuquerque setting. The Rockies are surely encouraged by a tiny 14.1 percent strikeout rate in that time and will give him a look moving forward.
Adams’ release figures to be the first of multiple personnel changes on the Rockies’ roster this week. Colorado is widely expected to trade away some impending free agents, with Jon Gray, Trevor Story, Mychal Givens, C.J. Cron and Daniel Bard among the possible trade candidates on the roster.
Someone will take a flyer they always do lol. Paging Milwaukee line 1
I don’t think so – It looks to be END OF THE LINE for Adams in MLB
He should get a call he was pretty good subbing for Freeman in ’17 Good Luck Big City!
Slow pitch softball
Kbo
I’m surprised he doesn’t walk more often
He definitely isn’t running more often.
Adams seems like he’s more of an AL type of player who can occasionally play the OF, 1B, fill in at DH or come off the bench as a pinch hitter, yet if I’m not mistaken he has spent his entire career playing in the NL.
He had an OPS+ of 87 his last full season. Are we really gonna go through this again? Nice guy, but not a major league ball player at this point. He’s a minor league contract guy at best…. Edit: Sorry, Mike, this post isn’t directed at you, I meant to post it below as a general comment.
Unless AL stands for American Legion, I have to disagree with you. Adams LOOKS like he should be an AL player, but he doesn’t play like it. Of course now he doesn’t play like an NL player either.
He grew up around 25 minutes from me, not too many MLB players have come out of central PA. I hope he can catch on somewhere else but Japan or the KBO may come calling.
He’s 245 lbs. Sounds like a Brewers’ first basemen to me!
Looks about 145 now in that pic!
If Ruiz is gonna have a break out, Coors Field is gonna be the spot.
@ thickiedon
I hope he does!
I wish him well
RedSox?
adams smoked kershaw
Matt Adams when he was young he had future all-star with his stats in minors….never could translate or make adjustments – he did get some decent years out of his career…he is not worth even a roster look anymore.
I’m surprised Adams did not hit a single Homer for the Rockies. Coors Field can be a cruel mistress it seems