Rockies moving bullpen arm to the rotation due to injury

Peter Lambert will move from the Rockies bullpen to the starting rotation, manager Bud Black told reporters this evening, via Patrick Newman of the Denver Post. 

He’ll step into the starting spot vacated by Kyle Freeland’s placement on the 15-day injured list. Righty Noah Davis, who was recalled from Triple-A as the corresponding move, will occupy the long relief role that Lambert had held.

The 27-year-old Lambert is no stranger to the rotation. He started 19 games as a rookie in 2019 and opened 11 of 25 appearances last season. 

The former second-round pick has generally struggled as a starter. He lost a spring battle with Dakota Hudson for the final spot in the Opening Day rotation, yet he has impressed out of the bullpen. 

Lambert has tossed 11 2/3 innings over six relief appearances, allowing just three runs. While his 10:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio isn’t particularly impressive, he has kept the ball on the ground at a huge 61.3% clip.

Freeland’s injury affords Lambert another opportunity to try to prove himself as a starter. He’ll make his first start of the season on Sunday as part of a doubleheader against the Mariners. 

It’s an important season for Lambert, who has quietly accrued more than three years of MLB service. He’s playing this year on a modest $1.25M arbitration salary and will be controllable for another two seasons.

There’s clearly opportunity for Lambert to hold a spot in the rotation if he finds any level of success. 

Colorado’s rotation looked like arguably the worst group in MLB entering the year. It has indeed been a major problem. Their 6.33 ERA is more than a run higher than any other starting staff.

A lot of that has been because of Freeland, who entered the year as the staff ace. The veteran southpaw was tagged for 25 runs (23 earned) over his first 15 2/3 frames. 

His effort to figure things out will be halted for a few weeks by an elbow strain. Black told reporters that the team was hoping for a 4-6 week timeline for Freeland’s return to an MLB mound.