Colorado Rockies right-handed pitcher Germán Márquez is scheduled to throw bullpen sessions this week, general manager Bill Schmidt told MLB Network Radio.
Márquez, who underwent Tommy John surgery last spring, is currently projected to rejoin the Rockies' rotation after the All-Star break. The latest update on Márquez's return falls in line with what Schmidt said back in January, when he provided the same timetable.
Now, the 29-year-old starting pitcher has made tangible progress towards that goal.
Colorado signed Márquez to a two-year extension in September, retaining a veteran starter who has been a lynchpin in their rotation ever since they traded for him as a top prospect in 2016. The Rockies will pay him $10 million in 2024, then $10 million in 2025, plus an additional $10 million available in incentives.
Márquez finished fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2017, then he won a Silver Slugger in 2018. In 2021, Márquez made his first and only All-Star Game.
Despite suiting up for a perennial losing organization in a hitter-friendly ballpark, Márquez has still managed to post a 65-56 career record with a 4.41 ERA and 1.283 WHIP. Márquez ranks No. 11 in Rockies history with a 17.7 WAR, which is good enough for No. 3 among pitchers behind only Ubaldo Jiménez and Kyle Freeland.
From 2017 to 2022, Márquez ranked fourth in all of baseball in games started with 166. Gerrit Cole, Patrick Corbin and Aaron Nola were the only pitchers with more starts than Márquez in that span.
Márquez was 2-2 with a 4.95 ERA and 1.100 WHIP through four starts in 2023 before going down with his elbow injury.
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