Starting pitching has proven to remain an enigma for the Colorado Rockies in 2026. Injuries and inconsistencies have tested depth and exposed that the Rockies have quite a bit of work to do in that department if they hope to be competitive any time soon.
Monday saw the Rockies designate Michael Lorenzen for assignment, effectively moving Tanner Gordon into his open rotation spot. Even at this point in the season, teams always need to keep an eye on their reinforcements in case of emergency to get
through the year. With a little over a month of games to play, let’s take stock of what depth pieces and reinforcements could still take a turn in the rotation as the season winds down.
Jose Quintana
Sidelined since the end of May with a left elbow sprain, veteran lefty Jose Quintana is on the mend and could make a return before the season is over. He threw a bullpen on August 15 and should live batters on Saturday. Logically, he will then go a rehab start or two, making a return to action before the end of the season a very likely possibility.
Through his first nine starts this season, Quintana posted a 5.37 ERA over 41 innings. After a shaky start to the season, he was starting to find a rhythm in five of his last outings leading up to the injury. Over that span, he posted a 3.01 ERA with 16 strikeouts against eight walks in 26.2 innings of work. While it’s not expedient that the Rockies get him back on the mound in a losing season, it would be nice for Quintana to end the season healthy.
Sean Sullivan
After a strong showing in Triple-A earlier this season, Sean Sullivan (No. 8 PuRP) had a small cup of coffee with the team in June, allowing 22 runs on 34 hits in 22.1 innings of work. Much like Quintana, he struggled with his command at the big-league level and found the task of missing bats much harder against major leaguers.
However, Sullivan has not pitched since July 4 and was placed on the 15-day injured list last week with left shoulder inflammation. The safe bet would likely be that Sullivan is shut down for the rest of the season since he is just 23 and can work on things down at the pitching lab in Arizona. Ideally, he can be good to go in 2027 and compete for a rotation spot or perhaps the long relief role.
Eiberson Castellano
After a tough season in the Philadelphia Phillies organization in 2025, the Rockies signed Eiberson Castellano to a minor league deal, and he has had an overall solid year in the organization. Through 19 appearances this season across two minor league levels, he owns a 3.79 ERA over 90.1 innings of work. He made just one appearance with the big league club in June, tossing three scoreless innings en route to a save against the Athletics.
Castellano made 10 starts in Double-A, where he recorded a 2.72 ERA before getting promoted to Triple-A Albuquerque. His role has been a little more odd, as he has often worked as a bulk reliever. He has made nine appearances in Albuquerque, but has made just one start and owns a 5.30 ERA in 37.1 innings with the Isotopes. Walks have definitely been an issue for Castellano in his career, but he has shown that he is capable of working four to five solid innings this season on the regular. It would be nice to see him get another shot with the Rockies before the season is over.
Valente Bellozo
When Valente Bellozo fired six incredible innings of relief in his season debut with the Rockies in April, it seemed like he would be a regular with the Rockies pitching staff. However, his other big league outings weren’t as memorable, and he has spent the majority of the season in Triple-A. He has made 22 appearances with Albuquerque, including 16 starts, posting an 8.35 ERA in 91.2 innings.
Bellozo’s biggest issue has been the fact that he has 47 walks to 47 strikeouts and has given up a lot of hits, including devastating home runs. The Pacific Coast League is tough for anyone, and Bellozo has had a tough time in the rotation and as a bulk reliever. If the Rockies ended up putting him back on the 40-man roster before the season ends, it would be to simply eat some innings as a last resort.
Keegan Thompson
Much like Bellozo, Keegan Thompson had a brief spell with the Rockies this season. He worked out of the bullpen and had an 8.25 ERA in 12 innings across five games before being outrighted back to Triple-A. Albuquerque has proven an interesting challenge for him as he sports a 5.61 ERA over 69 innings of work.
Like others on this list pitching in Albuquerque, he’s been in a hybrid role. For half of the season, he has mostly worked out of the bullpen, but since June 14 has worked as a starter. Now, the thing about that is Thompson has mostly appeared to be used as an opener of sorts, two to four innings. In fact, he only has one outing this season in which he worked five full innings. Much like Bellozo, his command wavers and he gives up a lot of hits, meaning he would be another last resort to reappear with the big league club before the season ends.
Jake Brooks
Acquired from the Miami Marlins for Bradley Blalock in the offseason, Jake Brooks has continued to try and fine-tune his pitching skills. He started the year in Double-A and performed admirably with a 4.71 ERA over 15 starts. He was then moved to Triple-A at the start of July and has made eight starts in a harsher PCL environment.
The main issue that Brooks seems to have is limiting contact and missing bats. In 121.1 innings this season, he has a 1.410 WHIP and is averaging 10.76 H/9. Opponents are currently hitting .341 against him in Triple-A, showing that it’s a fine line to walk to be an effective pitch-to-contact type of guy. It’s a hard learning curve to pitch in such a tough environment, but Brooks is putting his best foot forward to try and learn the trade.
Jack Mahoney
It’s been a slower ascension for Jack Mahoney after being taken in the third round by the Rockies in 2023, but he’s now on the doorstep to the big leagues. He dealt with injuries earlier this season, and it took a minute to readjust once he returned at the end of May. July was a fantastic month for Mahoney as he earned Organizational Pitcher of the Month honors and reestablished himself during a second look in Double-A.
He was then promoted to Triple-A, where he is again having to learn and adjust to the difficult pitching space. Over three starts, he has a 5.40 ERA and is still trying to hone his command at the different elevation. There could be an outside chance he makes a debut before the season is over, but there’s no doubt that he could be in position to compete for a spot next spring.
Mason Adams
Finally, that brings us to Mason Adams, the pitcher acquired from the Chicago White Sox in the Brenton Doyle trade a few weeks ago. Already enjoying a good season in the White Sox system, Adams has looked good in his two starts with the Isotopes in Triple-A. He has only worked eight innings, but has allowed just two runs on six hits with nine strikeouts and three walks.
There is certainly a chance that Adams gets the call before the season is over, but with it being his first full season post-Tommy John surgery, the Rockies may elect to limit his workload down the stretch. He will be in the mix for a rotation spot in 2027, meaning the Rockies can take their time with him at this moment, especially with an impending lockout that would cut off communication with the club if he were added to the 40-man roster.
Work to do
The pitching pipeline has plenty of work to do, and a focus for the team is going to have to continue to be improving depth and the ability to develop players. There has been positive progress this season, but the front office can’t afford for the starting pitching depth to be as shallow as it has continued to be for many years.
On the farm
Triple-A: Las Vegas Aviators 5, Albuquerque Isotopes 3
A disastrous sixth inning cost the Albuquerque Isotopes as they fell 5-3. Pitching was fairly solid for both teams throughout the game, but the Aviators put up four runs in the sixth to take the lead after the Isotopes had taken a 3-0 lead in the fifth. Castellano followed the opener, Patrick Weigel, and went 3.1 innings, giving up three runs on just two hits. Walks proved troublesome as he had four on the night, and Ryan Miller took the loss after allowing the winning run in the sixth inning as well. Offensively, Edouard Julien led the Isotopes with a two-run double in the fifth inning. Bryant Betancourt also had an RBI single that inning.
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 6, Somerset Patriots 5
An early back-and-forth ended with the Hartford Yard Goats scoring the winning runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Andy Perez and the newly promoted Jacob Humphrey led the top of the lineup with four combined hits, including Perez’s eighth home run of the season. Braylen Wimmer also had two hits in the game, including his fourth home run of the year. Meanwhile, Jared Thomas had a hit and two stolen bases. Konner Eaton started on the mound and went four innings, allowing three runs on five hits with six strikeouts and three walks.
High-A: Spokane Indians 12, Hillsboro Hops 10
Trailing 10-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, the Spokane Indians delivered a pair of five-run innings to stun the Hillsboro Hops 12-10. Robert Calaz had a big night, delivering four hits, including a home run. Meanwhile, Tanner Thach had four RBI on the night as part of a two-hit game while four players in total drove in multiple runs. Clayton Gray also had an interesting night, drawing four walks and scoring three runs. Yujanyer Herrera started on the mound and was roughed up for nine runs on 12 hits over 4.2 innings. The bullpen settled things down, though, allowing just one run over the rest of the game to give the offense a chance to rally.
Low-A: Stockton Ports 8, Fresno Grizzlies 2.
It was a tough night on both fronts for the Fresno Grizzlies as they dropped the game 8-2. Fresno had just two runs on five hits while striking out just three times and drawing four walks. Landyn Vidourek did have a double, however, while Daniel Jackson had the only RBI for Fresno. On the mound, Bryson Van Sickle was roughed up for six runs on seven hits over 3.1 innings. Luek Hansel took over in relief and ended up going 5.2 innings, allowing just two runs on four hits.
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