The Rockies announced Sunday they recalled right-handed reliever from the the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes and placed left-handed pitcher on the 10-day injured list with left knee inflammation.
“I know I put in the work at spring training, even if the beginning didn’t go the way I wanted it to,” Almonte said, referring to his 8.44 ERA in the Cactus League. “I went down to minor-league camp and made some adjustments to get here.”
Almonte, 24, said his focus over the offseason and into spring has been on amping up the intensity and consistency of his bullpen routine after posting a 1.84 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 14 relief appearances in his first major-league season in 2018.
“(Relieving) is still a relatively new role for me, and I know last year I had ups and downs warming up,” Almonte said. “I have to get to a point where I’m bringing the same stuff and mentality every time out.”
As for Anderson, who scuffled to a pair of losses and an 11.00 ERA in his first two starts this season, manager Bud Black said the 29-year-old’s knee issue has been an ongoing, and worsening, situation since late in spring training and that it’s correlated to his poor command against Miami and Los Angeles.
“We got to the point with Tyler, through our discussions and conversations, that it was time to take a step back,” Black said. “It’s been bothering him off and on throughout the past few weeks, some days better than others, but we felt it was time to let the inflammation quiet down. … We’ll see where we are in a couple weeks.”
Anderson was shelved twice in 2017 with the same issue in his left knee, the second of which turned into an extended 60-day stint on the injured list. But he remained healthy last year, going 7-9 with a 4.55 ERA in an inconsistent season while making 32 starts.
With Anderson shelved and Almonte headed to the bullpen, Black wouldn’t yet say who would take Anderson’s place in the rotation for Wednesday’s game against Atlanta, but he noted it wouldn’t be a bullpen pitcher.
Black added Antonio Senzatela “threw well, and he commanded the fastball well” with a four-pitch mix in his first rehab start with the Isotopes on Saturday night. He’s fully healed from his heel infection and is ready to throw 75 to 80 pitches.
If he did start Wednesday, Senzatela would be pitching on three days’ rest. Other Triple-A candidates to take the ball Wednesday are Peter Lambert, the organization’s top pitching prospect, for whom that day would line up with his scheduled start, and fellow right-hander Jeff Hoffman.
