The wild-card leading Rockies have turned inward to shore up their beleaguered bullpen.
Jhouyls Chacin, the organization’s top pitching prospect, will be called up from Double-A Tulsa to fill the spot for injured Manuel Corpas. He will be available when the Rockies open a crucial three-game series against the Giants Friday night at Coors Field.
“Yes, we are calling up Chacin,” Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd said this morning. “This is something that has been in the back of our minds all year. We knew that if we needed some pitching, and couldn’t find it from outside, that Chacin would be an option.”
However, there is still a chance the Rockies could trade for bullpen help, possibly as soon as today. Rockies have internally discussed trading for Baltimore’s George Sherrill, Boston’s Takashi Saito or Arizona’s Chad Qualls. Another possibility is Baltimore right-hander Danys Baez.
The Rockies are also looking at 43-year-old right-handed free agent Mike Timlin, who threw a bullpen session Wednesday and is scheduled to throw another on Friday. Timlin would be signed to a minor-league contract and then have to prove himself in Triple-A before joining the Rockies.
Chacin, a starter for the Drillers, is 8-6 with a 3.14 ERA in 103 1/3 innings. He struck out 86 and walked 35. O’Dowd said that initially Chacin will be used in a long-relief role, but could evolve into a late-game arm.
“We want to ease him into this a little bit,” O’Dowd said. “We will see how he does and then go from there. We want to keep developing him.”
O’Dowd says Chacin has shown he can help the big-league club this season.
“He’s matured as a pitcher,” O’Dowd said. “The important thing is his ability to throw strikes. We think he can do that for us.”
Corpas will undergo surgery Friday to remove bone chips in his right elbow. He could be out for the season, but hopes he can return in September.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
