Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela had an unlucky finish to his 2022 season. The appropriate-hander tore the ACL in his left knee whereas making an attempt to trace down a grounder in mid-August. He underwent surgical procedure that originally got here with a six-to-eight month restoration timetable.
Six months faraway from the harm, it appears issues are totally on the anticipated course. Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette writes the Rockies anticipate Senzatela returning to an enormous league mound in Could. He’s sure to start out the season on the 15-day injured listing however appears unlikely to land on the 60-day IL barring a setback.
As soon as wholesome, Senzatela will certainly reclaim his outdated spot within the rotation. Colorado positioned a powerful present of religion within the Venezuelan-born hurler final offseason, inking him to a five-year, $50.5MM extension. The deal, which purchased out as many as 4 free agent years, stored him round on the heels of a 4.42 ERA displaying over 28 begins in 2021. That was respectable manufacturing for a pitcher who spends half his outings at Coors Subject, his second consecutive season of stable output in the direction of the center or again of a beginning employees.
Final 12 months proved tougher even earlier than the harm. Senzatela gave up slightly greater than 5 earned runs per 9 innings throughout 19 begins. His 49.4% ground-ball price was down a pair proportion factors from his peak, albeit nonetheless higher than common. Senzatela’s robust command and pitch-to-contact profile largely remained intact, however final 12 months’s .383 batting common on balls in play in opposition to him inflated his ERA regardless of typically related underlying marks to seasons previous.
The Rockies are hoping for bounceback years from the majority of their rotation after doing little or no over the offseason. Germán Márquez and Kyle Freeland every posted down seasons final 12 months. Senzatela is often their #3 rotation choice, although that’ll most likely fall to José Ureña to open the season. The again of the rotation spots are particularly unsure.
Left-hander Austin Gomber seems to have the within observe on of these jobs. Allentuck writes that Colorado will transfer Gomber again into the rotation combine after kicking him to the bullpen for the second half of final season. The 28-year-old southpaw’s outcomes weren’t a lot completely different in both function. Gomber posted a 5.75 ERA with an 18% strikeout price as a starter and a 5.11 ERA with a 17.8% strikeout proportion out of the bullpen.
Given Colorado’s want for innings in the back of the rotation, shifting Gomber again right into a beginning function is smart. He’d pitched fairly effectively over 23 begins in 2021, posting a 4.53 ERA with a stable 23.2% strikeout price over his first 115 1/3 innings in Colorado. That’s the one season wherein Gomber has began at the least 20 huge league video games, although he nonetheless has a extra established observe file than different back-end candidates like Connor Seabold, Ryan Feltner, Ryan Rolison and Peter Lambert.
