Iannetta designated for assignment; Nuñez added to 40-Man, MLB debut tonight

DENVER – Ahead of Tuesday’s game against Arizona, the Colorado Rockies will have a new batter than previously expected only 24 hours ago.

Scheduled starting pitcher Jon Gray has been scratched due to an ankle sprain sustained in San Diego on the dugout steps of Petco Park; in his place, Jeff Hoffman has been recalled to make the spot start and Chi Chi González has been optioned to Triple-A.

In addition, the Rockies have designated for assignment catcher Chris Iannetta and selected the contract of catcher Dom Nuñez from Albuquerque.

“It was a hard decision and in baseball, you sometimes have to make tough calls. And we did,” Black said of Iannetta’s DFA. “We wish Chris the best. What a Rockie… Moving forward, we just felt that where Chris was this season and potentially what we have going on here these last seven weeks, it was probably time to see what Dom could do here. Give Dom some exposure to the big league game and put our eyes on him.”

Iannetta, originally selected by Colorado in the fourth round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, made his big league debut with the Rockies on Aug. 27, 2006. The 14-year veteran is the all-time franchise leader among catchers in games played (620), runs scored (252), hits (435), home runs (80), RBI (293) and walks (309), accomplished over parts of eight seasons (2006-11, 2018-19) with Colorado.

Black was complimentary of the most accomplished backstop in team history, saying, “With CI, what a great Rockie. When I was on the other side, in the other dugout, watching him coming up as a young player, I liked what I saw. Obviously, that continued through his stay in the big leagues.”

Over his career, the Providence, RI native has batted .230 (820-for-3,563) with 449 runs, 181 doubles, 11 triples, 141 home runs, 502 RBI, 576 walks and 11 stolen bases.

The rookie Nuñez is in the starting lineup catching Hoffman and is elated, even considering the loss of a catching mentor. “Very excited,” he said of his debut. “Mixed emotions, obviously. Nervous, anxious to get ready and play. Once I hit the field and get everything moving the right way, I’ll be ready to go.”

The 24-year-old was selected out of Elk Grove High School in the 6th round of the 2013 Draft and spent parts of seven seasons plying his trade in the minors in anticipation of this opportunity. Known more for his defense, Nuñez is having one of his best seasons at the plate with Triple-A Albuquerque, batting .244 with 17 home runs (career-high) and 42 RBI.

“I was hoping for a September call-up or something along that line,” the Sacramento-area product said of the opportunity. Maybe something in the offseason would happen, but I didn’t expect it to happen the day it did.”

As is the norm, the details of a player’s first promotion to the majors always raises goose bumps and the story Nuñez shares is no exception.

“(Isotopes manager Glenallen Hill) called a post-game meeting,” he shared of the announcement. “He said it was his first time doing one. It was pretty emotional. He looked over at me and he said, ‘Nuñez, you’re going to the big leagues.’ The whole team erupted in the clubhouse. You do it that way because it was my seventh year in the organization and I’ve spent a lot of time with the Rockies and through the ups and downs, this is the ultimate goal. It finally happened.”

Nuñez is the first drafted and developed catcher for the Rockies since Tom Murphy was drafted in 2012 out of college and made his debut in 2015.