The Rockies’ roster shuffle on Sunday provided insights into the direction of the team. The moves included a wild card regarding the immediate future of closer Seth Halvorsen, as well as the demotion of struggling first baseman Michael Toglia.
Halvorsen, the 25-year-old, hard-throwing right-hander, was placed on the 15-day injured list with an elbow strain. He underwent an MRI on Sunday, but the Rockies were seeking multiple opinions and did not have anything to report after the Rockies’ 9-5 loss to Pittsburgh.
Halvorsen, 1-2 with a 4.99 ERA and 11 saves over 41 appearances, was abruptly pulled in the ninth inning of Colorado’s 8-5 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon.
“We will know more after the MRI; I hate to speculate,” manager Warren Schaeffer said Sunday morning before the Rockies played the Pirates in the series finale.
The Rockies optioned Toglia to Triple-A Albuquerque for the second time this season. The emergence of hot-hitting Warming Bernabel left Toglia in limbo — and on the bench. The club believes that Toglia needs consistent at-bats if he’s going to escape a season-long slump characterized by a .194 batting average and a 38.3% strikeout rate.
In a corresponding move, the club recalled catcher Braxton Fulford from Triple-A, which gives the Rockies three catchers on the current 26-man roster. Fulford joins starter Hunter Goodman and veteran backup Austin Nola.
“Basically, the most important thing with that roster decision is to get Michael Toglia playing every day,” Schaeffer said. “So he’s going to go down to (Albuquerque) and play and work on what he needs to work on, to be better, so he can come back to help us. … Michael doesn’t need to be here and sit the bench. No good comes from that.”
Regarding having three catchers on the roster, Schaeffer said: “It’s good to have Braxton here. He’s a young player and it’s a good time to get him experience, moving into next year. So we will see how that catching scenario works out, obviously.
” ‘Goody’ is going to catch the majority of the games, but we have to discuss, as a staff, the catching situation.”
Toglia, who turns 27 on Aug. 16, remains an enigma. The 2019 first-round draft choice out of UCLA appeared to turn the corner last season. After his final recall from Triple-A on June 6, he slashed .232/.331/.470 in 100 games and hit 21 home runs, tying for 10th in the National League over that span. He started 90 consecutive games at first base through the end of the season.
But he’s regressed in 2025. Schaeffer said getting Toglia right will take both physical and mental adjustments.
“At some point, you just have to go and play better,” Schaeffer said. “That’s where Michael is. The mental resets — that’s happened this year, for sure — but he needs to go down there and work on what he needs to work on. He needs to flatten his bat path out. He needs to handle the top third of the zone where he’s swinging and missing a lot. He knows all of these things.”
Bullpen structure. Losing Halvorsen, no matter for how long, is a blow to an already thin bullpen. To shore up the ‘pen, the Rockies recalled veteran right-hander Nick Anderson from Triple-A.
Anderson, 35, got shelled in his one game with Colorado this season. In an 18-0 loss at Baltimore on July 26, he gave up five runs on six hits in one inning.
Before last week’s trade deadline, the Rockies dealt away veteran right-handed relievers Jake Bird (to the Yankees) and Tyler Kinley (Braves), leaving the bullpen inexperienced. Plus, rookie right-hander Zach Agnos went on the 15-day IL on July 27 with a right flexor strain.
Schaeffer said that right-handers Victor Vodnik and Juan Mejia will man the back end of the bullpen, with veteran Jimmy Herget also pitching late in games more frequently.
Left-hander Carson Palmquist will primarily be used as a long reliever, though he could see time later in games against left-handed hitters.
Crim claimed. The Rockies claimed first baseman Blaine Crim off waivers from the Rangers Sunday and optioned him to Triple-A. Crim, 28, made his big league debut with Texas earlier this year but he played in just five games, going 0 for 11 with a walk and six strikeouts. Crim was a 19th-round pick by Texas in 2019 out of Mississippi College.
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