The Rockies announced a series of roster moves on Saturday, including the placement of left-hander Austin Gomber and first baseman/outfielder Connor Joe on the 10-day injured list. According to MLB.com’s Thomas Harding, Gomber will be moved to the 60-day IL Sunday when the Rockies select the contract of right-hander Ryan Feltner from Double-A, as Feltner will make his MLB debut by taking Gomber’s spot as the scheduled starter against the Braves.
Right-hander Jordan Sheffield has been activated off the 60-day IL, making his return after first hitting the IL on June 5 due to a right lat strain. In addition, infielder Joshua Fuentes has been called up from Triple-A.
Gomber is suffering from spondylolysis, or a stress fracture in his lower back (also known as pars defect). The 60-day IL placement will end Gomber’s first Colorado season on a painful note, but he did make a solid accounting of himself in his first full season as a starter.
Acquired from the Cardinals as part of the Nolan Arenado trade, Gomber provided some silver lining for disgruntled Rockies fans by posting a 4.53 ERA/4.28 ERA over 115 1/3 innings. Gomber missed a month due to forearm tightness, and it’s fair to speculate that Gomber’s back problems may have affected his recent performance, as the southpaw has a 8.50 ERA over his last four starts and 18 innings. Looking at the Statcast numbers, Gomber’s strikeout and walk rate are roughly middle-of-the-road, but he has been good at limiting hard contact.
Joe left Friday’s game due to his injury, which has now been termed as a right hamstring strain. As manager Bud Black told reporters, including The Athletic’s Nick Groke, “it’s not a definite season-ending injury,” so Joe could potentially see some more action in 2021 if his hamstring cooperates. Signed to a minor league contract last winter, Joe has hit well over 211 plate appearances with the Rockies, batting .285/.379/.469 with eight home runs.
Feltner was Colorado’s fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft, and the Ohio State product will make the jump to the majors without the benefit of any Triple-A experience. In 110 combined innings at High-A and Double-A ball this season, Feltner has a 2.62 ERA and 27.53% strikeout rate over 20 starts. The big league promotion is a nice late birthday present for Feltner, who turned 25 last Thursday.
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