The Rockies announced they’ve reinstated right-handers Antonio Senzatela and Yency Almonte from the COVID-19 injured list. Senzatela will get the ball for this afternoon’s game against the Cubs. In corresponding moves, infielder Rio Ruiz has been optioned while left-hander Zac Rosscup was returned to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Senzatela and Almonte landed on the IL on July 16, with the Rockies dealing with coronavirus spread upon their return from the All-Star Break. Both players wound up missing a little less than three weeks. Senzatela now returns to Colorado’s starting rotation, where he’s been a fixture for most of the past five seasons. This year, he’s tossed 94 1/3 innings of 4.58 ERA ball despite a 15.7% strikeout rate that’s one of the league’s lowest. He’s continued to be particularly stingy in terms of handing out free passes, with a tiny 5.1% walk rate, and he’s racked up groundballs at a huge 54% clip.
Rosscup was selected to help shoulder the pitching workload due to the virus spread. Players selected as COVID replacements can be removed from the active and 40-man rosters without being exposed to waivers, so the veteran lefty will now head back to Triple-A. He made four appearances during his big league stint, allowing one run over three innings of relief with four strikeouts and a walk.
I have to give Senzatela some backhanded credit: he’s been able to hold down a rotation job for a long time while being at best underwhelming the whole time. Then again, this is the Rockies we’re talking about.
Almonte continues a 3 year trend of at least one Rockies fixture in the bullpen posting a ERA north of 7.
Hope he rights the ship, and with the Rockies too.
I’m actually impressed: most guys with numbers that bad get dropped long before being allowed 31 appearances.
Yeah, makes me curious about what is going on in the minds of front office and Interm GM.
Almonte has been much worse then previous offenders in the pen, but I’d chalk it up to injury’s and depth issues. Though, is it that hard to find a replacement in the pen when the floor to beat is an ERA over 10?