DENVER – The Colorado Rockies announced a series of roster moves Friday afternoon, the first of which — the return of Jon Gray off the DL to pitch tonight in Arizona — was anticipated, the other three were not.

Catcher Tom Murphy has been optioned back to Triple-A after showing he still needs to work on some things on both sides of the ball. Ryan Hanigan has been recalled to take his place.

Finally, relief pitcher Chad Qualls has been designated for assignment, likely meaning that his days with the Rockies are over.

So what does this all mean?

Gray should be a shot in the arm for the rotation, and really, for the team in general. He is one of the most talented pitchers the organization has ever seen and adding him back into the mix could do wonders both for their confidence and for the play on the field.

Colorado is likely hoping that the veteran Hanigan can also serve as a calming presence on a team that hasn’t won in their last eight ballgames. It’s unfair to blame Murphy for some of the poor performances by the pitching staff but it is fair to say that Hanigan deserves the chance to prove that he had something to do with how well the kids were throwing with him behind the dish.

The Qualls move is a fascinating one but easy to understand the logic behind moving him out instead of Jordan Lyles who is both younger and has the ability to throw multiple innings.

Since the Rockies went this route instead of optioning someone (Scott Oberg was the only real candidate for that) it leaves the 40-man roster at 39. This doesn’t necessarily mean anything but it does make any number of things easier including making a trade or calling up a prospect that needs to be added to the 40-man roster.