The Rockies’ starting rotation took a major hit on Wednesday, but also added a major asset.
The club announced that veteran left-hander Kyle Freeland, who is off to an excellent start, was placed on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation. The move is retroactive to Monday. Depending on how long Freeland is out, the IL stint could affect his chances to activate his player option for the 2027 season.
“There’s inflammation in there, but we won’t know exactly whatap going on until we get the picture or MRI,” “The last couple days it has felt good, I think me taking the steps I did and backing off before the start in San Diego was good.”
Freeland had been scheduled to start on Sunday.
“We think this is a minor issue,” manager
The good news for the Rockies is that veteran lefty starter Jose Quintana was reinstated from the 15-day IL. Quintana, 37, was scheduled to start against the Astros in Houston on Wednesday night.
Quintana went on the IL because of a strained right hamstring. He’s made just one start this season, on March 29 at Miami. He took a no-decision after pitching 4 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and four walks. He struck out two.
Freeland, 32, was Colorado’s Opening Day starter for the fifth time. After three starts, he was 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. The lefty has struck out 13 while walking four.
Freeland, a Denver native and a graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School, signed a five-year, $64.5 million contract extension with the Rockies in 2022. The deal runs through the 2026 season. Freeland’s contract includes a $17 million vesting player option for 2027 if he reaches 170 innings pitched in 2026.
Freeland, who’s in his 10th season with Colorado, has reached 170 innings just twice in his career. In 2018, Freeland made 33 starts and pitched 202 1/3 innings while going 17-7 and posting a 2.85 ERA. He finished fourth in the National League Cy Young Award voting. In 2022, Freeland made 31 starts, pitching 174 2/3 innings, and finished with a 9-11 record and 4.53 ERA.
Freeland recently told The Post how proud he feels to have pitched for his hometown team for 10 seasons.
“I mean, looking back, 10-year-old Kyle would say that there is no chance,” he said. “Itap the coolest thing for me to say that I spent 10 seasons with the Colorado Rockies, the team that I grew up with. This team was born in 1993, the same year that I was born.
“I got to know two Rockies Hall of Famers — Larry Walker and Todd Helton. I would say thatap all pretty cool.”
Colorado’s starting rotation has been hit or miss through the first 17 games. Veteran right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano is 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA across three starts. But right-handers Michael Lorenzen — 1-2, with an 8.10 ERA in five appearances (four starts) — and Ryan Feltner — 1-1, 7.30 ERA over three starts — have struggled.
Overall, Colorado’s starters had a 4.95 ERA entering Wednesday, the fifth-highest in the majors.
