The Rockies brought in additional minor league depth as they gear up for camp.
Early Wednesday afternoon as Major League Baseball teams—including the Rockies—were working on solidifying their international free agent classes, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com announced that the Colorado Rockies had added two new players to their organization.
The Rockies have agreed to a Minor League deal with INF Keston Hiura, per source. Hiura will be in Major League camp with Colorado.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 15, 2025
The Rockies have signed infielder Keston Hiura to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Hiura, 28, was a former top prospect of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Selected ninth overall in the 2017 draft out of the University of California, Irvine, Hiura has largely struggled to stick on a big league roster. He bounced back and forth between the Brewers and the Triple-A Nashville Sounds after making his MLB debut in 2019, hitting .238/.318/.453 over parts of four seasons.
Hiura was designated for assignment in 2023 after failing to make the Opening Day Roster. He spent the entire season with Triple-A Nashville before electing free agency at the end of the year. In 2024 he had a minor league stint with the Detroit Tigers and hit .148/.148./148 over ten games with the Los Angeles Angels.
Hiura represents additional veteran infield depth in a locker room that’s getting crowded with it. The Rockies signed former Minnesota Twins utility man Kyle Farmer and former San Francisco Giants second baseman Thairo Estrada to MLB contracts earlier this off-season, and also traded for former Brewers infielder Owen Miller.
Colorado has also agreed to a Minor League deal with OF Nick Martini, per source. Martini had 11 HR and 40 RBI in 81 games (242 plate appearances) in parts of the past two seasons with the Reds.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 15, 2025
The Rockies also signed journeyman outfielder Nick Martini to a minor league deal. Martini, 34, was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. However, he did not make his big league debut until 2018 with the Oakland Athletics. He also had brief stops with the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs.
Martini spent his 2022 season in South Korea with the KBO’s NC Dinos in Changwon. He played in 139 games with the Dinos while hitting .296/.365/.461 with 34 doubles, a triple, 16 home runs, and 85 RsBI.
He returned to the United States as a member of the Cincinnati Reds organization. There he has spent time with both the big league club and the Triple-A Louisville Bats. Martini hit .212/.272/.370 with five home runs, four doubles, and two triples in 52 games with the Reds last season.
The Rockies’ 40-man roster is currently full, and pitchers and catchers will report to camp in Scottsdale on February 14th.