Rockies ride versatile Cole Carrigg into finale vs. Royals

Cole Carrigg made an impact in his major league debut on June 9, recording a triple in his first big-league game for the Colorado Rockies.

Carrigg has shown versatility, too, moving from outfield to shortstop, where he played Saturday night in Colorado's 12-6 win over the Kansas City Royals.

The 24-year-old can help the Rockies earn a sweep of the series from Kansas City when the teams wrap up their three-game set Sunday in Denver.

The Rockies will send left-hander Kyle Freeland (2-10, 7.34 ERA) to the mound against right-hander Seth Lugo (4-6, 4.22) of the Royals.

Kansas City will be down a veteran after trading outfielder Lane Thomas to the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.

Carrigg, who is batting .292 in 43 games, went 0-for-2 with three walks Saturday night. He played shortstop for the fourth time since his promotion to the majors, and the first time he started there. Every other game he has been in the outfield, with a bulk of his time spent in center field.

Despite the limited time in the infield, manager Warren Schaeffer showed no hesitation in putting the rookie at shortstop.

"You guys can see it, the ultra-confidence he exudes on a daily basis," Schaeffer said. "I know it's everybody's job to make a big deal out of a guy doing a bunch of stuff, but it's another day for him."

Freeland exudes confidence despite his results this season.

He is 0-3 in his last four starts and has one quality start since getting the victory against Houston.

Sunday will be his fourth career outing against the Royals. He is 0-2 with a 4.34 ERA in the three previous starts and received a no-decision when he last faced them on July 5, 2024, despite allowing one earned run over seven innings.

Lugo is taking the hill for the 23rd time this season and 14th in his career against Colorado. In his previous 13 games - six starts - he is 3-1 with a 2.72 ERA in those outings.

Lugo, at 36, is one of the elder statesmen on a Royals roster that has plenty of young talent.

One of those is catcher Carter Jensen, who is tied for second on the team in homers with 15. Jensen, 23, has split time with veteran Salvador Perez behind the plate.

Jensen, who made his debut on Sept. 2, 2025, serves as the designated hitter when he is not catching. He got his feet wet in 2025 when he caught 10 games and has played 67 games there this season.

Manager Matt Quatraro feels Jensen has been somewhat inconsistent at the plate.

"This year we've seen some of the ups and downs, we've seen him expand at times, strikeouts have been up at times and then other times he really controls the zone, uses the whole field," Quatraro said. "The power's been there since the beginning of the year. I think he's going to be a really good hitter in the big leagues, and he's learning to handle both sides of the ball and the ups and downs that go with a long season."