Rockies select contract of two infielders

The Rockies announced that they have selected the contract of infielders Kyle Karros and Aaron Schunk. Thomas Harding of MLB.com reported on those promotions prior to the official announcement. In corresponding moves, they have placed infielder Orlando Arcia on the 10-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation, transferred infielder Thairo Estrada to the 60-day IL and placed right-hander Angel Chivilli on the restricted list. It’s unclear why Chivilli has been placed on the restricted list.

Karros, 23, is the son of Eric Karros. The younger Karros was Colorado’s fifth-round draft pick in 2023. Since then, he has been climbing the minor league ladder, generally putting up good numbers. He has taken 1,010 minor league plate appearances across multiple levels with an 11.5% walk rate, 20.4% strikeout rate, .304/.393/.459 batting line and 135 wRC+. That includes a .301/.398/.476 line this year, mostly at Double-A but also with a few games at the Complex League and at Triple-A.

Baseball America currently lists him as the #14 prospect in the Rockies’ system. Their report notes that he is a strong defender at third base with a good arm. His offensive profile is highlighted by his contact ability, which matches with his numbers. His strikeout and walk numbers are good but he doesn’t appear to have a ton of power. He hit 15 home runs in High-A last year but has just six so far in 2025.

Schunk, 28, was outrighted off the roster in June. He has a dismal .230/.254/.311 line in 127 big league plate appearances. His minor league work has been better but still subpar. From 2023 to the present, he has 1,065 Triple-A plate appearances. His .293/.344/.469 line in that time looks impressive at first glance but actually translates to an 87 wRC+ in the context of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

The Colorado infield took a few recent hits. Estrada landed on the 10-day IL two days ago due to a right hamstring strain. With today’s transfer to the 60-day IL, his season is done. With Arcia landing on the 10-day IL today, that’s two infield vacancies created this week. The club also lost Ryan Ritter to the IL last month due to a finger laceration.

Those injuries have created openings for Karros and Schunk. The Rockies don’t have a lot to play for this year but have long-term opportunities available. Aside from Ezequiel Tovar at shortstop, there’s not much certainty in the infield for future seasons. Guys like Warming Bernabel and Adael Amador are already getting some big league at-bats and now Karros and Schunk can join them.

Circling back to Estrada, this is the final nail in the coffin for his very challenging season. He had a solid three-year run with the Giants from 2021 to 2023. He slashed .266/.320/.416 for a 105 wRC+ in that time while stealing 45 bases and bouncing around the diamond to all three outfield spots and the three infield positions to the left of first base.

He had a rough campaign last year, however. He went to the IL multiple times due to left wrist sprains and slashed just .217/.247/.343 for a 65 wRC+. The Rockies gave him $4MM for 2025 with the hope of a return to form, a logical bet for a rebuilding club. If Estrada had been able to get back to his previous level of production, he could have been an intriguing midseason trade candidate.

That did not come to pass. He was hit by a pitch in spring training and broke his right wrist. That put him on the IL for the first two months of the season. He also missed time with a sprained left thumb and now this hamstring strain has put him out for the rest of the campaign. Around those injuries, he only got into 39 games and hit .253/.285/.370. He can be retained for 2026 via arbitration but is surely going to be non-tendered. He will return to the open market but his appeal should be light on the heels of these two injury-marred seasons.

Photo courtesy of Allan Henry, Imagn Images