Monday, July 21

DENVER --  A young Rockies bullpen went younger on Friday, when the club designated veteran left-hander Scott Alexander, 35, for assignment. The move had the strategic goal of making the bullpen younger.

Needing a lefty and wanting experience, the Rockies signed Alexander during Spring Training for one year and $2 million. But with the team’s poor start, there were few instances where Alexander’s experience was needed -- and he struggled to a 6.06 ERA in 19 appearances.

Now four relievers are 25 or younger and all but two of the eight hurlers have Minor League options.

Jake Bird, 29, has a 1.72 ERA and a role of entering with traffic and/or pitching more than one inning. Leads have been few, but save opportunities are going to rookies. Zach Agnos (Rockies No. 24 prospect), 24, is 3-for-3 on save chances, and Seth Halvorsen, 25, is 2-for-4. 

Righty Victor Vodnik, 25, on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation, is on a rehab assignment at Double-A Hartford and is close to a return to the late bullpen.

The Rockies are willing to work through the early-career ups and downs of righty Angel Chivilli, 24, who has a pitch mix that can allow him to face left- and right-handed parts of lineups; 2018 first-round pick Ryan Rolison, 27, the only lefty in the current bullpen; and Juan Mejia, 24, who was called up the day before the club parted ways with Alexander.

Righties Jimmy Herget, 31, and Tyler Kinley, 34, provide experience, but overall the Rockies have cast their lot with youth.

“You’d have to say that in the first 50 games, that’s probably the strength that we’ve had, the young guys in the bullpen,” general manager Bill Schmidt said. “We think we have more coming, and they’re eventually going to get here.

“Scotty is a professional and I have a lot of respect for him. But at the end of the day, we had a tough decision to make.”

Schmidt said 2021 second-round pick righty Jaden Hill (Rockies No. 17 prospect) is out with a right hamstring injury at Triple-A Albuquerque but should be in the Majors when fully healthy, likely in the second half of the season.

Rookie right-hander Chase Dollander agreed with manager Warren Schaeffer and Schmidt that the right forearm inflammation that landed him on the 15-day injured list is a minor issue.

“When I was pitching in Arizona [during a 1-0 Rockies loss on May 18] in the first inning, my forearm kind of cramped up, so this is a residual from that,” said Dollander, 23, who is 2-5 with a 6.28 ERA but has given up two or fewer earned runs in four of his eight starts. “Other than that, everything is fine.

“It’s just a little sore, but I got a scan done and nothing to worry about. I told them I could pitch [Friday], but they just wanted to take the cautious route. I felt pretty good and threw outside, but they thought it would be best to let it rest a little bit, which I completely understand."

Dollander expects to be available when eligible on June 3.

Dollander, however, was able to watch right-handed call-up Tanner Gordon throw six solid innings in a 3-2 victory over the Yankees on Friday night.

“Obviously, I wish it was me, but I was super happy for that guy,” Dollander said. “He’s worked his tail off to be here. He’s done everything right.”

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, 25, played high school football at Scottsboro and Pinson Valley high schools in Alabama. Rockies left fielder Jordan Beck played baseball and basketball nearby in Hazel Green, Ala. They’re practically homeboys.

Except they barely met before Nix threw the ceremonial first pitch to Beck on Friday. But Nix quarterbacked the Broncos to the playoffs last year, and Beck has put up strong numbers since emerging as the Rockies’ leadoff hitter. So there could be time for the two to talk about their homes, old and new.

“I played against him in middle school basketball, so that was the only time I’ve really seen him,” Beck said. “I didn’t really get to talk to him a ton, since this was the first time we met. We talked a lot about friends we knew. Further down the road, maybe we’ll go get dinner or something and talk.”

Beck was quite the hoopster on quite a team at Hazel Green -- which featured Kira Lewis Jr., who has played in the NBA with the New Orleans Pelicans, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz and spent this season in the G-League with the Capital City Go-Go (Washington Wizards affiliate).

So, how was Nix as a basketball player?

“He was a football player -- he was aggressive, he played hard and was coming downhill,” Beck said.

• 2024 first-round Draft pick Charlie Condon (Rockies No. 2 prospect) missed the early part of the season with a left wrist fracture. Since recovering and batting .296 during an injury rehab assignment in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, Condon has shown early impact with High-A Spokane -- hitting .278 with two doubles, three RBIs and five walks against four strikeouts in five games.

Condon, 22, a standout from the University of Georgia, spoke recently with Dave Nicholls of the Spokane Spokesman-Review newspaper.

• Triple-A Albuquerque infielder Ryan Ritter (Rockies No. 12 prospect)  was recently named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week, and his hot streak has continued. He knocked three home runs on Sunday in a 14-0 victory at Reno.

• Lefty Sean Sullivan (Rockies No. 9 prospect) threw five scoreless innings for Double-A Hartford in a 3-0 victory at Erie. Sullivan received an invitation to Major League camp but was recovering from surgery on his right hip labrum after last season. After two injury rehab games, Sullivan is 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA in three starts at Hartford.

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