The Rockies are selecting the contract of right-hander Tanner Gordon, according to Luke Zahlmann of the Denver Gazette. Gordon will start the club’s game against the Royals this afternoon in what will be his MLB debut. The Rockies will need to make a corresponding to make room for Gordon on the active roster, but a 40-man roster move won’t be necessary thanks to the open space the club has after Elehuris Montero was designated for assignment last week.
Gordon, 26, was a sixth-round pick by the Braves in the 2019 draft who joined the Rockies as part of the Pierce Johnson trade last summer alongside righty Victor Vodnik. Gordon was struggling badly at the Triple-A level for Atlanta at the time of the trade, with an 8.28 ERA in 29 1/3 innings of work, but looked much better across six starts at the level with Colorado. In those 31 1/3 frames of work, Gordon posted a 4.31 ERA while striking out 24.1% of batters faced and walking 7.1%.
Those solid results offered reason for optimism that Gordon could contribute in the majors sometime in 2024, but the Rockies nonetheless chose to leave the righty off their 40-man roster over the winter. Fortunately for them, Gordon was not selected in the Rule 5 Draft back in December and reported back to Triple-A for the 2024 campaign. The righty’s seven starts this year have not been quite as fruitful as his time in the organization last season. In 33 2/3 innings of work at Triple-A this year, Gordon has struggled to a 5.35 ERA while striking out a noticeably reduced 18.5% of batters faced. While his 5.5% walk rate is impressive, Gordon’s dip in strikeouts and subsequently lessened production are both cause for concern.
Those potential issues won’t stop the Rockies from giving Gordon a taste of the big league level in a spot start today, however. The righty’s first assignment in the majors will be a fairly tough one, as he’ll be matched up against a Royals club that has surged into surprise contention this year while pitching his first game at Coors Field. Gordon will be taking the ball in place of right-hander Ryan Feltner, who was scheduled to start today. It’s not currently clear if Gordon is simply making a spot start to afford the club’s regular starters additional rest or if he’s going to be a more permanent fixture in the club’s rotation, though with rumors swirling around Feltner, Cal Quantrill, and Austin Gomber it’s possible a trade could open up a more permanent spot in the rotation for Gordon in the coming weeks.
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