The Rockies are set to activate right-hander German Marquez from the 60-day injured list on Sunday, manager Bud Black told reporters (including Mike Fitzpatrick of The Denver Post) last night. Colorado’s 40-man roster currently stands at 39, meaning the club will only need to make a corresponding active roster move to activate Marquez unless they add another player to the 40-man before activating him.
Marquez, 29, made it just four starts into the 2023 season before requiring Tommy John surgery in early May last year. At the time, the former All-Star was a pending free agent, but the sides hammered out a two-year, $20M extension last September that has allowed Marquez to complete his rehab in a familiar organization and re-establish his value ahead of free agency, which now looms after the 2025 season.
For the Rockies, the move allowed them to retain a player who has shown the rare ability to pitch well while calling Coors Field home. From 2018 to 2021, Marquez posted a 4.22 ERA that was 17% better than average by ERA+ and an even stronger 3.70 FIP across 106 starts for the Rockies. That’s the version of Marquez the club hopes they’ll add to their rotation on Sunday. However, it’s worth noting that the righty’s 2022 season demonstrated some cause for concern as he posted an eye-popping 6.70 ERA in 16 starts at Coors despite an excellent 3.34 ERA in 15 starts on the road.
Marquez is slated to take the ball Sunday in a start against the Mets in New York and is expected to throw between 75 and 90 pitches in his return to the mound. With a dismal 33-62 record this season, the Rockies will not be factored into the postseason picture in 2024, regardless of how well the right-hander performs in his return to action. With that being said, it’s at least feasible that a strong start from the righty over the next few weeks could impact the club’s thinking ahead of the trade deadline on July 30. If Marquez can return to the club’s rotation looking healthy and effective, it would add a quality starter to a rotation that could make the club more comfortable dealing away pieces from its rotation.
Earlier this summer, the Rockies were reportedly listening to offers for right-hander Cal Quantrill and lefty Austin Gomber while also receiving interest in righty Ryan Feltner. Quantrill has pitched to solid results in his first season with Colorado, posting 4.13 ERA (110 ERA+) in 19 starts despite a lackluster 4.77 FIP thanks partly to a career-best 46.4% groundball rate. Gomber, meanwhile, has posted a 4.61 ERA, essentially the league average (99 ERA+) after adjusting for park factors. Feltner has been the least impressive of the three regarding on-field results, with a lackluster 5.02 ERA. However, more advanced metrics such as SIERA (4.13) and xERA (4.04) look much more favorably upon him thanks to his microscopic 6.5% walk rate and ability to limit hard contact.
Dealing with any of those controllable players would be tough for a rotation with the league’s worst ERA. Still, if Marquez can return to the top of the club’s rotation, that would go a long way to helping round out a rotation that already parted ways with right-hander Dakota Hudson earlier this month.