The Colorado Rockies made a widely anticipated transaction Tuesday, bringing Trevor Story back from the disabled list and sending pitcher Jeff Hoffman back down to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Despite the fact that Pat Valaika and Alexi Amarista both filled in admirably in Story’s absence, the shortstop position belongs to the young man who so confidently burst onto the national scene a year ago when he hit 27 home runs even though he missed the final month of his rookie campaign. He’s shown himself to be a capable defensive shortstop at the MLB level and he needs time to work through his early sophomore slump to fulfill the potential that scouts, evaluators, and the Rockies, have seen in him for a very long time.
Hoffman is similarly considered to be a vital member of this team’s future, and while it might seem counter-intuitive, that is precisely why he is being sent back down to the minors. As tempting as it would be to look at his two outings in the Bigs this season and come to the reasonable conclusion that the Rockies could use more of that and less of something or someone else (we’ll get to that) it’s also a bit hasty.
Colorado is in an odd situation. One clear hole in the 25-man roster has emerged; middle relief. Jordan Lyles just doesn’t look like he is going to figure it out, and Chad Qualls just doesn’t appear to be able to fool anyone anymore, relying mostly on luck for things to not totally implode when he comes into the game. Chris Rusin can’t pitch every game.
But, although we once thought the role might be perfect for him, putting Hoffman there right now doesn’t make sense. If you truly see this guy as a potential ace (or even No. 2 guy) you don’t want this valuable development year to go to waste, sticking him in a new job, having him pitch on an uneven schedule (essentially only when the Rockies are way up or way down) and in games where you pretty much want whoever is on the mound to throw strikes and eat innings.
Middle-relief isn’t a Hoffman problem, though an argument could surely be made that Carlos Estevez and or Harrison Musgrave should get their chances at this point.
If the Rockies still had a need at the back-end of the bullpen, it might make sense to convert Hoffman or one of German Marquez or Antonio Senzatela into a late-inning guy. The wicked stuff each possesses make sense in that role, but that same stuff would be wasted in any job less important than that, and those gigs are currently being held down quite comfortably by Greg Holland, Adam Ottavino, Jake McGee, and Mike Dunn. (And Chris Rusin again.)
Nobody is going to argue that Hoffman and his 2-0 record with the 3.29 ERA and 11.20 K/9 aren’t far more exciting to watch pitch than some of the guys the Rockies roll out in blowouts. But Hoffman is more than that and he needs to be forcing the Rockies to put him in the rotation, not in middle relief, at this point.
Of course, in order for that to happen, somebody in the current rotation must falter. And for more than just a game or two because that can happen to anybody and you don’t want to derail any of these guys by overreacting. There is plenty of time to play this out and see what happens with everyone.
As long as the Rockies are winning, they are going to keep everyone mostly where they are, health permitting. But if September rolls around and Colorado is still in a tight pennant race, these are the kinds of questions that will become hot-button debate topics.
Hey … the Colorado Rockies are a baseball team with hot-button debate topics. What a season.
