Rockies’ Prospect Ethan Holliday To Undergo Season-Ending Foot Surgery
Rockies top shortstop prospect Ethan Holliday has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left foot, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com. He’ll undergo surgery that will end his 2026 season.
Holliday, the son of Matt Holliday and younger brother of Jackson Holliday, was the fourth pick in last year’s draft. The pick was not only a chance for the Rox to add the son of one of the best hitters in franchise history. Holliday had entered his draft year as a candidate to go first overall thanks to his huge left-handed power potential. Some swing-and-miss concerns and skepticism about whether he’ll grow out of shortstop dropped him from the #1 pick but not outside the top five.
The 19-year-old struggled in Low-A to close his draft year. Holliday returned to the level for his first full minor league season and sliced his strikeout rate by more than 10 percentage points. He still struck out at a lofty 28.3% clip but popped nine home runs while batting .292/.395/.557 over 152 plate appearances. Baseball America ranks him the top prospect in the Colorado system. He’s 57th on BA’s overall top 100 list, while MLB Pipeline slots Holliday all the way up at #17.
It’s unfortunately the second straight year in which the Rox’s top pick has suffered an injury early the following year. Charlie Condon, who went #3 overall in 2024, suffered a wrist fracture last spring that cost him a couple months. Condon has come back and reached Triple-A. Holliday isn’t going to move as quickly because he was a high school draftee. The Rox could bump him to High-A to begin the 2027 season, as there’s a decent chance he’d have hit his way to that level this summer if not for the injury.
Rockies Transfer Jose Quintana To 60-Day Injured List
The Rockies announced they’ve transferred starter Jose Quintana to the 60-day injured list. He’d been placed on the 15-day IL on Monday with an elbow sprain. Today’s move creates a 40-man roster spot for Jeff Criswell, who has been reinstated from the 60-day IL. He’ll remain at Triple-A Albuquerque on optional assignment.
Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports that Quintana is expected to avoid surgery. However, a sprain by definition indicates there’s some amount of stretching and/or tearing to the ligament. The immediate IL transfer rules him out for at least two months. Quintana won’t be back until late July at the earliest.
That probably takes him off the summer trade market. Colorado signed Quintana to a one-year, $6MM deal just before Spring Training. They hoped he’d raise the floor in an historically bad rotation while pitching well enough to be a deadline trade candidate. Quintana was never going to bring back a significant prospect but could plausibly have gotten them a low minors lottery ticket or two if he were pitching well.
It’s theoretically possible that Quintana could return at the 60-day mark and start one or two games before the August 3 deadline. Even in that case, it’s unlikely he’d show enough to be a target for a contender. Quintana has only completed six innings once in his nine starts this year. He has a 5.27 ERA with a career-low 11% strikeout rate while averaging less than 90 mph on his fastball.
Making a second half return would be more important for the veteran southpaw personally. Assuming he wants to continue playing beyond this season, he’ll need an impressive final month or two to give himself a chance at securing another major league deal. The Rockies are also without Chase Dollander and Ryan Feltner, though the latter might be back as early as Saturday.
Criswell underwent Tommy John surgery in Spring Training 2025. The Michigan product had pitched pretty well in a small sample debut at the tail end of the ’24 season. His stuff has looked good on a rehab assignment, and he has fanned 12 hitters in his first 6 2/3 frames with Albuquerque. They’ll let him continue working against Triple-A hitters but could bring him back to the MLB level at any point now that he’s back on the 40-man roster.
Rockies, John Brebbia Agree To Minor League Deal
The Rockies and veteran reliever John Brebbia are in agreement on a minor league deal, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com. The Icon Sports client was with the Rox in spring training after signing a minor league deal in December, but he opted out of his contract late in camp. Brebbia then signed a minor league with the Twins, triggered an opt-out last week after a couple months in their system, and was granted his release. He’s now back in the Rockies’ system
The 35-year-old Brebbia struggled through his time in the Twins organization. He pitched 20 1/3 innings with their Triple-A affiliate in St. Paul and was tagged for a 6.20 earned run average that closely mirrors his big league work in the past couple seasons. To his credit, Brebbia started quite well, allowing one run with a 17-to-3 K/BB ratio over his first 10 2/3 innings with the Saints, but he was rocked for 13 runs over his next 9 2/3 innings. He then triggered his out clause and was granted his release.
While Brebbia has a nice overall track record in the majors, he’s had a rough showing the past couple years. He’s pitched for three teams (White Sox, Braves, Tigers) and served up a 6.41 ERA in 78 2/3 innings. Home runs have been his primary undoing; opponents have averaged 1.83 homers per nine innings against him since 2024.
That said, Brebbia has a lifetime 4.04 ERA, 25.6% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate in 378 1/3 major league innings. He’s saved four games and picked up 62 holds while pitching between the Cardinals, Giants, Tigers, White Sox and Braves.
The Rockies’ bullpen is one of the weakest in the sport. Colorado relievers have combined for a 4.51 ERA — 4.56 if you exclude prized young starter Chase Dollander‘s work as a bulk option following an opener. Relievers Jimmy Herget and Victor Vodnik are both on the injured list at the moment (as is Dollander), so bringing in some extra relief depth to stash in the upper minors makes sense for the Rockies — particularly if they end up moving some bullpen arms at this year’s deadline. Free-agent-to-be Antonio Senzatela, who’s in the midst of a breakout campaign in the ‘pen, stands as the most logical trade candidate of the bunch.
Rockies Place José Quintana On 15-Day IL With Sprained Elbow
The Rockies have placed left-hander José Quintana on the 15-day injured list with a sprained pitching elbow, per a team announcement. They recalled lefty Welinton Herrera from Triple-A Albuqerque in a corresponding move.
Quintana’s IL placement comes on the heels of a short and disastrous start in Arizona on Sunday. In what turned into a 9-1 loss, Quintana yielded six earned runs over 1 1/3 innings. He will now miss at least two weeks, but elbow injuries often lead to much longer absences. The 37-year-old Quintana has been on the IL seven times during his career, including once this season for a hamstring strain, but an elbow problem had never shelved him until this issue cropped up.
Since debuting with the White Sox in 2012, Quintana has put together a terrific resume as a member of nine different clubs. He owns a lifetime 3.79 ERA over 392 appearances and 366 starts, and he earned an All-Star nod with the White Sox back in 2016.
The nomadic Quintana signed with the pitching-needy Rockies on a one-year, $6MM agreement last February, but he has struggled to a 5.27 ERA over nine starts and 41 innings. While his 9.4% walk rate is exactly league average, Quintana ranks second to last in strikeout percentage (11.0) among pitchers who have thrown at least 40 frames. He has also posted a lackluster 34.3% ground-ball rate, which is easily a career low. It would be incorrect to attribute Quintana’s woes to hitter-friendly Coors Field, as his road ERA (6.75) is far worse than the 4.03 mark he has logged at home. In fairness to Quintana, a lot of the damage came at the hands of the Diamondbacks on Sunday.
At 20-34, the Rockies are tied with the Angels for the worst record in the majors. Their 4.98 ERA, the second-highest figure in the league, has been an obvious culprit. They have now seen three starting options – Quintana, Ryan Feltner and Chase Dollander – go down with injuries in the past month. Feltner put up a bloated 6.30 ERA in five starts and 20 innings before right ulnar nerve inflammation shelved him in late April, whereas Dollander has been a legitimate bright spot. While Dollander has worked behind an opener and only made three starts in 10 appearances, the hard-throwing 24-year-old notched a 3.89 ERA in 44 frames before an elbow sprain forced him to the IL on May 15.
Quintana had been penciled in to make his next start Saturday against the Giants. The shorthanded Rockies will now need to find someone to join Tomoyuki Sugano, Michael Lorenzen, Kyle Freeland and Tanner Gordon in their rotation.
Herrera, who is in line for his major league debut, has worked exclusively in relief since the Rockies signed him out of the Dominican Republic in January 2021. To protect themselves from losing Herrera in the Rule 5 Draft last winter, the Rockies added him to their 40-man roster. The 22-year-old has gotten his first taste of Triple-A action this season and registered a 5.16 ERA with high strikeout (31.8), walk (13.1) and ground-ball (50.9) percentages. MLB.com ranks Herrera as the 14th-best prospect in the Rockies’ system, noting he could turn into a “high-leverage reliever” in the bigs if his slider emerges as a strong complement to a fastball capable of reaching 99 mph.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images.
Nationals Acquire Carson Palmquist From Rockies
The Nationals have acquired left-hander Carson Palmquist from the Rockies for cash considerations, both teams announced. The Nats subsequently optioned Palmquist to Triple-A Rochester and shifted right-hander Max Kranick to the 60-day injured list.
Palmquist had been a member of the Rockies organization since the club grabbed him in the third round of the 2022 draft. He consistently ranked among the Rockies’ 30 best prospects at Baseball America since then, topping out at No. 8 in 2025, but was unable to deliver in his lone major league action last season. Over nine appearances (seven starts) and 34 1/3 innings, the soft-tossing Palmquist recorded a brutal 8.91 ERA with similar strikeout and walk percentages of 15.4 and 14.3, respectively. He averaged a little over 90 mph on his fastball and surrendered 10 home runs while generating ground balls just 31.6% of the time.
Palmquist entered this season as BA’s 17th-ranked Rockies prospect, but they designated him for assignment on May 21 after he got off to a rough start with Triple-A Albuquerque. He made 12 appearances (five starts), tossed 25 innings of 7.20 ERA ball and totaled almost as many walks (19) as strikeouts (24) in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Overall, Palmquist pitched to a 5.41 ERA with 9.7 strikeouts and 5.5 walks per nine in 138 Triple-A innings as a member of the Rockies.
The 25-year-old Palmquist has two minor league options remaining and will give the Nationals some depth. If he pitches well enough in Rochester, the Nats could eventually call him up to join what has been one of the majors’ least effective pitching staffs. Washington has the majors’ fifth-worst ERA (4.82), but thanks to an unexpectedly good offense, the team is off to a respectable 27-27 start.
Kranick, 28, joined the Nationals on a one-year contract with a club option on May 5. The Nationals immediately placed Kranick on the 15-day IL, as the former Pirate and Met is still recovering from the flexor tendon surgery he underwent last summer. The shift to the 60-day version will keep him from debuting with the Nats until at least early July.
Padres Interested In Antonio Senzatela
The Padres are known to be looking to bolster what is already a strong relief corps, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes that Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela is one of the names on San Diego’s radar. Nightengale also mentions Aroldis Chapman as a Padres target, echoing Dennis Lin of the Athletic’s report from a few days ago about the Padres’ long-standing interest in Chapman.
Senzatela is in the last guaranteed year of a five-year, $50MM extension he signed with Colorado back in October 2021, as the Rockies hold a $14MM club option (with no buyout) on his services for 2027. In this sense Senzatela is basically a rental player for any interested trade suitors, as that club option is unlikely to be exercised regardless of how well the righty pitches over the rest of the 2026 campaign.
Since signing that extension, Senzatela has tossed only 274 1/3 big league innings, as a torn ACL and a Tommy John surgery led to two extended stints on the injured list. Finally fully healthy heading into the 2025 season, Senzatela struggled to a 7.42 ERA over 108 innings and 23 starts before the Rockies moved him to the bullpen in August. The role switch seemed to work immediately, as Senzatela then delivered a 2.86 ERA over his first 22 innings as a reliever.
The improvement has carried over to some extent in 2026, though Senzatela’s sparkling 1.13 ERA carries several red flags. A .195 BABIP is probably the biggest reason why Senzatela’s 3.48 SIERA more than triples his real-world ERA. It isn’t just good luck, however, as Senzatela’s 6.8% walk rate is quite solid and his hard-contact numbers are vastly improved from his career norms. His 22% strikeout is a bit below league average, but also markedly better than the 14.7K% Senzatela posted over his first nine MLB seasons.
As one might expect, Senzatela’s move to relief pitching has bumped his velocity — after averaging 94.2mph on his fastball prior to 2026, Senzatela is now up to 97.1mph. Moreso than just the velo, Senzatela’s decreased usage of his four-seamer has made the pitch much more effective, as Senzatela has now introduced a cutter to his arsenal. The four-seamer has been thrown 35.2% of the time while the cutter isn’t far behind at 30.8%, and Statcast’s Run Value metric gives the cutter an impressive +6.
These results bode well for Senzatela’s chances of landing a decent contract when he hits free agency this winter, as it looks like the move to the pen has resurrected his career. In the shorter term, it makes him an obvious trade chip on a rebuilding Rockies team that is tied with the Angels for the worst record in baseball (20-34). Barring injury, Colorado will surely be moving Senzatela in advance of the trade deadline.
The wrinkle in regards to the Padres is that San Diego is apparently looking to make a move sooner rather than later. San Diego relievers have already logged 213 2/3 innings, the seventh-highest total of any relief corps in baseball. Though this heavy workload hasn’t stopped the Friars’ bullpen from being one of the best in the game, the front office is looking to be proactive in adding a relief arm or two to help keep everyone fresh for what the Padres hope is an even deeper playoff run.
On the flip side, the fact that the Padres’ desire for bullpen help is more of a want than a true need, they may not be operating with much desperation. That reduces what leverage the Rockies may have as one of the few teams in pure seller mode. While the Rox will definitely be selling and the Padres will (barring a total collapse in the next two months) definitely be buying, most prominent trades don’t take place until much closer to the deadline since clubs usually want to take their time in accessing their needs and gauging the market.
Since the Rockies’ priority should be on amassing talent rather than cutting payroll, Colorado could offer to eat virtually everything remaining on Senzatela’s contract (roughly $8MM of a $12MM 2026 salary) in order to maximize the prospect return. Such an offer could be of particular interest to the Padres, who project to be luxury tax-payors for the second straight season and didn’t spend much this past winter. Of course, the incoming new ownership group led by Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones could be willing to stretch the budget in pursuit of the franchise’s elusive first World Series ring.
It is perhaps worth noting that the Padres and Rockies are very infrequent trade partners who haven’t completed a non-cash considerations type of trade since December 2011. This may have less to do with a division rivalry than the fact that the Rockies generally made less trades as an organization than most other clubs, though president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta has already swung several lower-level deals in less than a year on the job.
Rangers Claim Blaine Crim
The Rangers announced that first baseman Blaine Crim has been claimed off waivers from the Rockies. Crim has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, and right-hander Carter Baumler was moved from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL to open up a 40-man roster spot.
A 19th-round pick for the Rangers in the 2019 draft, Crim spent his first six pro seasons in the Texas organization, and he made his Major League debut in a Rangers uniform in 2025. Crim was designated for assignment at last year’s trade deadline in the aftermath of the deal that brought Merrill Kelly to Arlington, and the Rockies then claimed Crim away on waivers. Crim’s 2025 campaign ended with a .200/.270/.462 slash line and five home runs over 74 plate appearances and 20 combined games with Texas and Colorado.
This remains Crim’s full MLB resume, as he began the season on the Rockies’ 10-day IL while recovering from an oblique strain and was then optioned to Triple-A after being activated. Colorado designated Crim for assignment earlier this week, and the 28-year-old now finds himself in the familiar environs of Round Rock.
Crim has spent parts of the last five seasons at the Triple-A level, and he hit .281/.370/.479 with 70 home runs over 1882 PA at the top rung of the minor league ladder. These impressive numbers come with the caveat that Crim’s entire Triple-A career has been spent in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, and for his minor league career as a whole, Crim’s wRC+ is a relatively modest 113. Crim’s path to consistent MLB playing time has also been hampered by the fact that he has become a first base-only player in recent years, after getting some limited action as a third baseman and corner outfielder earlier in this minor league days.
From the Rangers’ perspective, Crim is a known quantity of a depth option. He is also in the second of his three minor league option years, giving Texas some flexibility in sending him back and forth from Triple-A if a need arises.
Baumler was a selection in this offseason’s Rule 5 Draft, as the Pirates took him out of the Orioles’ organization and then dealt the right-hander to Texas. Baumler posted a 3.18 ERA despite recording as many walks as strikeouts (six apiece) over 5 2/3 relief innings over four appearances, which represented his first taste of Major League action. A right intercostal strain sent him to the 15-day IL in early April, and it has now been almost a month since Baumler’s minor league rehab assignment was halted due to an injury setback.
The move to the 60-day IL now ensures that Baumler can’t return to the Rangers’ active roster until the first week of June at the earliest, and it’ll likely be a lot longer than that considering that his throwing progression may have to be restarted from scratch. The Rule 5 regulations require Baumler to be on Texas’ active roster for at least 90 days this season, and if not, the Rangers will again have to keep him on their 26-man for all of the 2027 campaign in order to officially secure his right from Baltimore.
Rockies Place Mickey Moniak On Injured List
The Rockies announced they’ve placed Mickey Moniak on the 10-day injured list with right ankle tendinitis. Rookie outfielder Sterlin Thompson is up from Triple-A Albuquerque to take his spot on the roster. Thomas Harding of MLB.com reported the moves before the official announcement.
It’s the second IL stint of the season for Moniak, who missed the first week and a half with a finger sprain on his right hand. Manager Warren Schaeffer tells team reporter Kelsey Wingert-Linch that Moniak injured his ankle when he collided with the wall during a mid-May series against the Pirates. He has played through the injury for a couple weeks but will need some time on the shelf.
Moniak has probably not coincidentally been in a slump since that series. He’s 2-20 over his last seven games. Moniak had been one of the more productive hitters in the sport before that and still carries a strong .280/.335/.607 slash line across 164 plate appearances. He leads the team with 12 home runs, a top 10 mark in the National League.
The former first overall pick has found his stride since signing with the Rockies on the eve of Opening Day 2025. He’s a .272/.314/.541 hitter in 625 plate appearances over his year-plus in Colorado. That’s almost all against right-handed pitching and has disproportionately come at Coors Field, yet Moniak has certainly hit well enough to put himself on the radar as a midseason trade candidate. He’s making $4MM and under arbitration control through 2027. If he’s healthy, he could be a platoon corner outfield/designated hitter target for a contender.
Thompson, a supplemental first-rounder from the 2022 draft, is up for the second time in his MLB career. He went 1-8 in a three-game stretch last week before being optioned back to Triple-A. The Florida product is in the lineup at DH tonight against Arizona righty Michael Soroka. Colorado is shorthanded in the outfield with Moniak and Brenton Doyle landing on the injured list in consecutive days. Thompson should get fairly regular playing time as part of an outfield that also includes Jake McCarthy, Troy Johnston and Tyler Freeman.
Phillies Trade Andrew Baker To Rockies
The Phillies announced they’ve traded minor league reliever Andrew Baker to the Rockies for international bonus pool space. Baker is not on the 40-man roster.
It’s the second time in as many months that the Phils traded for bonus pool room, as they acquired $500K in allotments from the Dodgers for Griff McGarry. Matt Gelb of The Athletic notes that the Phillies are adding to their bonus pool to facilitate the signing of amateur pitcher Chan-min Park, a 17-year-old righty from South Korea.
The 26-year-old Baker was Philadelphia’s 11th-round pick out of junior college in 2021. He has spent parts of five seasons in Double-A. That includes some strong work this season, as the righty has worked to a 2.65 ERA across 17 innings. Baker has fanned 25 opponents against five walks. He has never had any trouble missing bats, but that kind of control would be the best of his career if he’s able to maintain it.
Baker has gone unselected in the Rule 5 draft a few times. Although he’s not a premium prospect, he’s a potential up-and-down bullpen arm for the Rox. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs gave him an honorable mention in his January writeup of the Philly system, writing that Baker has a 96-98 mph fastball and a plus slider with below-average control. He’ll be Rule 5 eligible again next offseason if the Rox don’t give him a 40-man roster spot.
Rockies Select Chad Stevens
The Rockies announced they’ve selected infielder Chad Stevens from Triple-A Albuquerque. Colorado placed outfielder Brenton Doyle on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 20, with a left oblique contusion. The Rox also recalled right-hander Blas Castaño and optioned lefty reliever Sammy Peralta to Triple-A. Colorado designated southpaw Carson Palmquist for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Stevens.
Stevens, who signed an offseason minor league contract, has been on a tear in the minors. He’s hitting .362/.435/.523 with three homers, 13 doubles and a triple over 40 games with Albuquerque. That’s carried by a .500 average on balls in play, as Stevens has struck out at an elevated 26.2% rate. The former 11th-rounder has a .300/.378/.473 line in just shy of 800 trips to the dish at the Triple-A level in his career.
The 27-year-old Stevens has played in five MLB games, all of which came with the Angels in early July. He went 2-14 with seven strikeouts. Los Angeles optioned him back to Triple-A after a week and designated him for assignment in September. He’ll provide an extra infielder behind Ezequiel Tovar, Willi Castro, Kyle Karros and Edouard Julien off Warren Schaeffer’s bench.
It’s a little odd that Colorado brought up an infielder to replace Doyle, as they’re operating with a rather thin outfield. Jake McCarthy is in the primary center field role, while Mickey Moniak occasionally moves into center. Tyler Freeman and designated hitter/corner bat Troy Johnston are the other outfield options on the active roster.
Stevens’ selection spells the end of Palmquist’s time on the roster. Colorado’s previous front office regime drafted the 6’3″ southpaw in the third round in 2022. The Miami product struggled over nine MLB appearances last year. The Rockies moved him to the bullpen late last summer. Palmquist has spent this season on optional assignment to Triple-A. He has started his past few times out but is still working 2-3 inning stints.
Palmquist has allowed 7.20 earned runs per nine over 25 frames with Albuquerque, walking 15% of opponents against a modest 19% strikeout rate. The Rockies will trade him or put him on waivers within the next five days. Palmquist has never been outrighted in his career, so he’d remain in the organization if he clears waivers.
Thomas Harding of MLB.com reported the Stevens call-up before the team announcement.