Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking theRockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the
Rockies in 2026. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.No. 28, Welinton Herrera (0.1 rWAR)
Welinton Herrera entered the season ranked No. 17 in Purple Row’s
Prospect Rankings.
Ranking the Rockies, 2026: No. 28, Welinton HerreraRanking the Rockies, 2026: No. 28, Welinton Herrera
When he made his MLB debut on May 25, and in his two other relief appearances at the end of that month, it looked like the 22-year-old lefty out of the Dominican Republic was living up to the billing.
His big league debut came against Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium and Herrera posted a scoreless, hitless inning. He got Teoscar Hernandez and Hyeseong Kim to ground out and Will Smith to fly out in a 1-2-3 inning.
He held the Dodgers scoreless in another inning the next day. Despite giving up a single to Andy Pages, Herrera struck out Will Smith and Freddie Freeman before ending his outing by getting Mookie Betts to fly out.
His next appearance was ruined by a bad elbow as Herrera got one out but gave up a single and walk before exiting a game against the San Francisco Giants on May 29. By May 30, he was placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation. An MRI revealed a UCL tear, and the 15-day IL became 60 on June 1, and he had surgery not too long after. Depending on his recovery timeline, Herrera, who Colorado nabbed as an international signing in 2021, will be back sometime in the 2027 season.
Featuring a low arm slot and a fastball that averages in the mid-90s, but can hit the higher 90s, Herrera has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, his injury dropped him to No. 27 in the PuRP mid-season rankings.
In 16 appearances in Triple-A Albuquerque, including one start, Herrera went 3-1 with a 5.16 ERA, 14 walks and 34 strikeouts in 22.2 innings. Herrera has climbed quickly through the Colorado farm system, going from Low-A Fresno in 2024 to High-A Spokane later in the season. After dominating with the Indians to start 2025, Herrera then went to Double-A Hartford and posted a 3.50 ERA in 37 starts to earn a ticket to the Futures Game and the Arizona Fall League.
On Nov. 2, Herrera was one of five Rockies to end their tenure on the 60-day IL.
As Colorado continues to try to improve its pitching staff for the future, the Rockies could use an arm out of the bullpen like Herrera’s. After his injury, it will take time for him to recover, build his arm back up, and see if he can be the pitcher the Rockies hope he can be.
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