6:20pm: As relayed by Harding, club manager Bud Black confirmed to reporters this evening that Rodgers is being placed on the injured list, with Amador to be recalled in a corresponding move.
2:18pm: The Rockies are set to call up infield prospect Adael Amador for his Major League debut, according to reporter Francys Romero (X link). Amador will bypass Triple-A entirely on his way to the big leagues, and the Rox will need to make a corresponding transaction to create room for Amador on both the 26-man roster, although he is already on the club’s 40-man roster.
It’s a surprisingly aggressive move for the Rockies considering that Amador is hitting only .194/.337/.329 over 209 PA with Double-A Hartford, though he does have 22 steals in 25 attempts. However, it isn’t entirely clear whether or not Amador will officially be added to the roster today or if he’ll be on the taxi squad, as MLB.com’s Thomas Harding writes that the Rockies are still determining whether or not Brendan Rodgers will need to visit the 10-day injured list. Rodgers left yesterday’s game with a hamstring injury and is currently day-to-day, so it is possible Amador might not be needed if Rodgers has a very quick recovery.
If Rodgers does hit the IL, or the Rox might give the 21-year-old Amador more or less everyday work at second base if Rodgers will be sidelined for at least the next 10 days. Given the situation, it seems like Colorado prefers using a 40-man spot on Amador rather than create a space for any of their infield options at Triple-A, none of whom have much or any experience in the majors. While Amador’s season-long numbers leave something to be desired, he has recently been on a tear, hitting .309/.400/.655 over his last 66 plate appearances.
While a stop at Triple-A was expected first, Amador was generally seen as an advanced enough prospect to be a candidate for his MLB debut in 2024. Amador is ranked 32nd by MLB Pipeline and 34th by Baseball America on their constantly-updated top 100 prospects lists, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel also had the infielder 33rd on his preseason top-100 ranking. Amador was an international signing for Colorado back in 2019, and due to the pandemic, he didn’t make his proper pro debut until he played in the Arizona Complex League in 2021.
Even if the Double-A numbers haven’t quite reflected it, Amador’s switch-hitting approach at the plate has been widely praised, and he has more walks (186) than strikeouts (172) over his minor league career. This contact has been quality contact as well from both sides of the plate, even though Amador has yet to show much power.
It’s possible more pop could come as he gets older and perhaps gains more size (though Amador isn’t a small man at 6’0″ and 200 pounds), and even if his power numbers stay below average, it’s easy to see him driving double or triples into the big outfield at Coors Field. Amador has stolen 73 bases of an even 100 attempts in the minors, and evaluators feel he could stick at shortstop, though the Rockies have made him pretty much a full-time second baseman since Ezequiel Tovar has the shortstop position locked down for the rest of the decade. Since Rodgers is a free agent after the 2025 season, Amador has been viewed as Colorado’s new second baseman of the future.
Service time probably won’t be a big consideration for the moment since Amador’s first stint in the majors might not last too long (if at all), so it’s too early to speculate about Super Two qualification down the road. Still, the fact that the Rockies are calling up Amador over their Triple-A options and are at least willing to consider starting his MLB service clock indicates that the team might have a longer look in mind for Amador later in the season. Rodgers’ health situation will impact his potential trade value heading into the deadline, but a case can be made that the Rockies could move Rodgers before July 30 and clear the way for Amador at second base for the latter half of the 2024 campaign.