Ryan Feltner’s start has been pushed back
Amid their current 17-straight-games schedule before the All-Star break, the Colorado Rockies are calling up right-hander Tanner Gordon to start the series finale against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday in what will be his major league debut.
Tanner Gordon is up on the #Rockies taxi squad today.
The righty will start tomorrow for Colorado in his major-league debut. No move until tomorrow but Ryan Feltner’s start will be pushed back.
— Luke Zahlmann (@lukezahlmann) July 6, 2024
Gordon, 26, started the season with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes out of spring training but was immediately sidelined with an injury that caused him to miss the start of the 2024 season. He made two rehab starts in the Arizona Complex League, tossing 6 2⁄3 innings and giving up two runs on seven hits while striking out nine and issuing one walk.
The Isotopes activated him on May 23 and he has made seven starts this season, posting a 5.35 ERA over 33 2⁄3 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. While he does have an 11 H/9 with Albuquerque, he has a knack for pounding the zone, registering 27 strikeouts against just eight walks.
Tanner Gordon pulled the string here, getting out of the jam and completing six quality innings.
B6: Isotopes 6, Chihuahuas 2 pic.twitter.com/sf9rN36VEd
— Albuquerque Isotopes (@ABQTopes) June 17, 2024
Originally drafted out of Indiana University Bloomington in the sixth round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves, Gordon joined the Rockies organization last season alongside reliever Victor Vodnik in the trade that sent Pierce Johnson to Atlanta.
After the trade, Gordon went 2-2 with a 5.96 ERA in four starts at Double-A Hartford and 1-1, with a 4.31 ERA in six starts at Triple-A Albuquerque.
“They say baseball’s a mental game and it definitely is,” said Gordon in his presser on Saturday, “but when I got traded a lot of the talk was about the altitude and I try to put that away and stick to my game and just throw strikes and get outs. At the end of the day that’s all you really can do. Both teams have to throw in the altitude.”
“Last year when we got [Gordon] in a trade, good reports, our scouts liked him.” said manager Bud Black. “We saw him in spring training briefly so our initial first impression was great. It’s a solid average major league fastball with ability to throw a curveball, he’s got a little slider, [and] he’s got a change. Our player development people really like what they’ve seen and think he’s ready for this.”
Ryan Feltner was scheduled to start on Sunday but will now have his start pushed back. Black indicated that the decision came as a way of letting Feltner pitch on the road where he has been more successful and also gives him a chance to pitch in front of family and friends when they begin their series in Cincinnati on Monday.
A corresponding move to clear space on the 40-man roster has not yet been determined and will be announced before the series finale.
Purple Row will continue to update this story.
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