What the lineup suggested, manager Jim Tracy articulated in a closed-door meeting Monday with Clint Barmes.
The Rockies are going to give Eric Young Jr. the bulk of playing time at second base.
“Barmy will be involved, but you can’t understate the dynamic that E.Y. and (Dexter) Fowler have brought to our team,” Tracy said. “We are going to explore where it goes.”
Like outfielder Brad Hawpe before him, Barmes has remained a professional in his approach and demeanor. But it’s impossible to draw any other conclusion than Barmes faces an uncertain future with the Rockies.
He hasn’t yet been placed on waivers. If and when he is, there are a number of teams that likely would have interest, including the Cardinals.
Barmes, who is batting .241 with eight home runs and 49 RBIs, admits that the season “hasn’t gone like I had hoped offensively.”
The 31-year-old infielder has always been streaky, a trait that has been magnified by hitting eighth in the line- up, where he has received a steady diet of breaking pitches. He led the Rockies with a .313 average in June but has hit just .154 since the all-star break with one home run.
Barmes will be arbitration- eligible this offseason, leaving him a nontender candidate after making $3.3 million this year.
The Rockies would have interest in bringing him back but possibly only in a utility role that other clubs could trump.
Footnotes.
Hawpe, whose locker was cleaned out, will become a free agent today. He is leaning toward joining an American League team — with Texas, Tampa Bay and the Chicago White Sox all possibilities. . . . Relief pitcher Randy Flores cleared waivers. The Rockies will try to trade him for a few more days before making him a free agent. . . . Jeff Francis (biceps tendon) threw a 15-pitch side session and remains determined to pitch again this season “regardless if we are in a race or not.” . . . Aaron Cook started Monday and will pitch again Friday for Double-A Tulsa, leaving him in position to rejoin the Rockies on Sept. 2. . . . Matt Daley (shoulder) is optimistic he could return in about two weeks. . . . For the first time this season, Tracy declined to answer a question. It centered on the Rockies’ home-road split personality. “It is what it is,” Tracy said.
Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
