Thomas Harding of MLB.com is reporting that the Colorado Rockies will promote McCade Brown for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Brown (No. 26 PuRP) will have a short trip from Double-A Hartford to make his MLB debut.
He was third-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft who has had trouble staying healthy. As Jeff Aberle wrote earlier this week, Brown “has long teased prospect watchers with potential big league rotation stuff when he’s been on the mound.”
Health issues have marked his career. At
Indiana University, over three years, he pitched just 67 2/3 inning. He began in Rockies career in Low-A Fresno where he earned an 11.8 K/9 rate in 89 2⁄3 innings.
In April 2023, he underwent Tommy John surgery and was out until May 2024.
That season he threw only 23 2⁄3 innings in 12 games between the ACL and Low-A Fresno, where he had a 6.85 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and 6.5 BB/9 rate while striking out 13.3 batters per 9 innings. He worked in relief in the Arizona Fall League, pitching 11 1/3 innings with a 3.18 ERA and a 12.7 K/9.
That changed in 2025.
As Aberle writes:
This season, though, a healthy Brown has been a revelation on the mound in both High-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford (where he’s still 0.9 years younger than league average). First, Brown made nine starts with Spokane, posting a sparkly 1.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 12.8 K/9 rate, and 4.0 BB/9 rate in 33 2/3 innings, which was enough to garner a late May promotion to Hartford. In ten more starts with Hartford against upper minors hitting, Brown has thrown 37 innings with a 3.65 ERA (3.08 xFIP), 1.22 WHIP, 11.9 K/9 rate, and 3.6 BB/9 rate.
Brown was also the Rockies’ Pitcher of the Month in June.
Worth noting, he has not lasted longer than 5 2/3 innings in any start this season.
Given that the Rockies announced Austin Gomber’s unconditional release earlier today, they are clearly exploring their pitching options on the farm.
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