Colorado Rockies news and links for Monday, March 3rd, 2025
With ten games under their belt so far in spring training, the Colorado Rockies are off to a strong 7-3 start.
The Rockies made their first round of camp cuts on Sunday and none of the five names were terribly unexpected. Right-handed reliever Tommy Doyle—signed to a minor league deal this off-season—was the only pitcher on the list and is most likely to start the season with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. Two of the non-roster invitee catchers in Ronaiker Palma and Bryant Betancourt, as well as infielder Julio Carreras, were also reassigned to minor league camp.
The Rockies currently have a full 40-man roster with 19 non-roster invitees remaining. However, a slot on the 40-man will open up soon with the news that right-handed reliever Jeff Criswell will miss the 2025 season and have Tommy John surgery.
Although there’s still several weeks until Opening Day, trends are starting to emerge and camp cuts will continue until the final 26-man roster is revealed. Be it via injuries like Criswell, being supplanted by someone else, or additional roster moves, there are bound to be some unexpected names that will miss being named to the Opening Day roster.
RHP Justin Lawrence
I may be cheating a little with this one. The Rockies placed right-handed reliever Justin Lawrence on irrevocable waivers on Saturday. However, they notably did not designate the hard throwing Panamanian for assignment. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, the Rockies could choose to keep him on the 40-man roster—and by extension the active roster, as he is out of options—if needed. With end of Jeff Criswell’s season before it even began, that need may just be there for the Rockies. Criswell was a bullpen candidate after making his debut in 2024 to strong results. In 13 appearances Criswell posted a 2.75 ERA with 27 strikeouts over 19 2⁄3 innings.
Unfortunately for Lawrence, his spring training has not gone as planned after a difficult 2024 campaign. After cutting his signature mane of long hair and seeking out the expertise of analytics specialists to get his career back on track this off-season, Lawrence has still struggled. In three spring training appearances he has walked three batters, hit another two, and given up three earned runs on four hits.
Even if he clears waivers, the Rockies may choose to outright Lawrence to Triple-A Albuquerque. This would clear up space on the 40-man for a younger—though potentially unproven—pitcher to take his place. Or they might just pick veteran Diego Castillo.
Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images
Right Fielder Jordan Beck
Between his April 30th debut and May 25th, Beck hit .190/.198/.316 with 30 strikeouts and only one walk, but also drove in eight runs with four doubles and two home runs. He also stole a couple of bases in his efforts. Beck struggled like a young rookie might, but also flashed some of his five tool potential and was an intriguing prospect for the future of the organization.
“The complete player is interesting to us,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “He’s a good defender, can run, has power and we think he can hit for average. The skill set is there. He’s projectable to get better. We like the makeup, the work ethic, the confidence, the poise – the ingredients of a good player.”
Beck unfortunately suffered a broken hand on a diving outfield play and missed significant time. When he returned, the struggles continued. He drew more walks but still struck out frequently and couldn’t find his timing.
Coming into the 2025 season it looked like the Rockies would give the young “Mike Honcho” every opportunity to earn the starting right field job. However, he hasn’t quite found his rhythm yet. Beck is currently 3-for-17 with six strikeouts and no extra-base hits. The Rockies could choose to use one of his three options and have him work in Triple-A Albuquerque should he be unable to find his footing before Opening Day.
Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images
Left Fielder Nolan Jones
After finishing in fourth place for 2023’s National League Rookie of the Year voting, it seemed like the Rockies had struck gold in a low-stakes trade with the Cleveland Guardians. He hit .297.389/.542 with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases and provided some excellent defense in left field—only missing out on Gold Glove contention due to missing the innings requirement.
Unfortunately, Jones’ productivity cratered in his sophomore season. He dealt with everything from injuries and back issues, to off-the-field concerns with his family’s health, to overall poor performance. He appeared in just 79 games while hitting .227.321/.320 and had only three home runs.
Jones is still a major bounce-back candidate for 2025, and the job in left field is his… until it isn’t. Moving Jones off the roster would mean risking losing him on waivers because he has no remaining options. However, his spring training is off to a rough start. Jones is just 1-for-18 through his first seven games of the spring. He didn’t get his first hit until Saturday, has five strikeouts to two walks, and hasn’t stolen a base—though he’s had limited opportunities to do so.
With prospects Zac Veen and Yanquiel Fernández performing well in camp alongside veteran options like Nick Martini, there is a non-zero risk of Jones losing out on the starting left field job.
Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images
Injuries
It’s looking more and more likely that left-handed reliever Lucas Gilbreath will start the season on the injured list in some capacity. Gilbreath missed the entire 2023 season after having Tommy John surgery, and made just three appearances in 2024 before being shut down with nagging shoulder discomfort. Now two years removed from solid back-to-back seasons in 2021 and 2022, Gilbreath has yet to appear on the mound this spring. The longer he goes without pitching, the more likely it is for him to start the season on the IL.
A sudden development over the weekend might see Gilbreath joined by another pitcher on the injured list, although it’s still too early to tell. Left-handed starter Austin Gomber was scratched from his appearance on Sunday with soreness in his left shoulder. Gomber asked to be removed from the pitching lineup on Sunday out of precaution, reporting the soreness and difficulty hitting the proper velocity for his pitches. Gomber’s four-seam fastball topped out at just 89.2 MPH in his first Cactus League appearance.
The Rockies clearly want Gomber to be part of their pitching staff in 2025, having settled with him in arbitration over the off-season and slotted him in early as a member of the rotation. However, they might choose to sideline him for the remainder of the spring and the start of the season out of an abundance of caution if it means getting more out of him through the majority of the year.
Photo by Aaron Doster/Getty Images
It’s still far too early to make these kinds of decisions. With almost a full month left until Opening Day, there is plenty of time to watch trends emerge and to make what could be difficult roster decisions. However, this early in the spring there are still players to keep an eye on for the possibility of them playing themselves out of a roster spot.
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‘I felt good’: Márquez achieves goal with increased pitch count | MLB.com
Germán Márquez is pushing for a healthy 2025 campaign as he begins to stretch himself out this spring. Although he was prepared to pitch three innings on Sunday, things didn’t quite go as planned with some lengthy at-bats from Seattle Mariners hitters. However, Márquez felt confident with his pitches and delivery, and ended up throwing 48 pitches before his day was done.
Rox pitching depth tested: Gomber scratched, Criswell needs TJ | MLB.com
Thomas Harding provides some more information on Austin Gomber, who was scratched at his own request on Sunday afternoon. Initial tests haven’t revealed a specific injury, but Gomber reported left shoulder soreness in addition to low fastball velocity witnessed in his previous spring training appearance.
“The longer you play, the more you become in tune with your body,” Gomber said. “Maybe I would have tried to push it a little bit more if we were in a different spot on the calendar. But it being so early in the year, I just felt like I wanted to take a few days to try to get a touch better and not have something that’s like nagging throughout the year. So now was a good time to kind of get a good reset.”
Harding also provides some additional details on Jeff Criswell, who will have Tommy John surgery in Texas on March 14th and will miss the entire 2025 season
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