The Colorado Rockies made a couple of intriguing roster moves ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the Chicago White Sox. First, the Rockies activated catcher Elias Díaz from the 10-day injured list. Then, to make room on the active roster, Colorado designated first baseman Elehuris Montero for assignment.
The Colorado Rockies announced the following moves today:
– Reinstated C Elias Díaz from the 10-day injured list.
– Designated INF Elehuris Montero for assignment.The Rockies’ 40-man roster is at 39.
— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) June 30, 2024
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Díaz missed just under three weeks with a strained left calf and returns with enough time to showcase his health to teams interested in trading for him. In cutting Montero, the Rockies officially give up on a big piece of the infamous Nolan Arenado trade.
Rockies Activate Elias Díaz, Designate Elehuris Montero
Formerly a long-term backup, Díaz broke out last season in his fourth year with the Rockies. In 141 games, he hit .267/.316/.409 with 14 homers and solid strikeout and walk rates. He even earned MVP honors in his first All-Star game.
Elias Diaz is the first catcher in Rockies franchise history to be named an All-Star.
Now he’s the first Rockies player ever to win All-Star MVP
Couldn’t have happened to a better guy. A ray of sunshine in a tough Rockies season. This is awesome! pic.twitter.com/MbsihCDL7g
— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean) July 12, 2023
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While he regressed in the second half of the season, Díaz once again got off to a blazing start this year. Prior to the injury, the 33-year-old was hitting .303/.352/.439 with five home runs in 216 plate appearances. Paired with solid defense (3 Defensive Runs Saved), Díaz represented a rare bright spot on a disastrous Rockies team.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the Rockies activating Díaz is the impact it will have on the team’s trade deadline strategy. Many evaluators view Díaz as a piece Colorado will be willing to sell at the deadline. There likely will be plenty of suitors due to his expiring contract, affordable salary, and solid production.
The Rockies will activate Díaz now and give him a month to regain any trade value he might have lost on the injured list.
Elehuris Montero
Among the five players Colorado acquired for Arenado, Montero might have carried the highest pedigree. He ranked as high as 81st on Baseball America’s top prospect ranking in 2019 due to his offensive profile. The publication wrote that Montero is “a physical, strong hitter with excellent hand-eye coordination, bat speed and plus raw power.”
Elehuris Montero could be a nice stash player for a team needy of depth. He’s really made some strong improvements since 2023.
81% zContact —> 86.8% zContact
40.4% ozContact —> 45.6% ozContact
44.9% GB Rate —> 37.4% GB Rate
36.2% K Rate —> 22.7% K RateOnly 25 years young. pic.twitter.com/vuxfAQghPQ
— Pat (@PatSullivan05) June 30, 2024
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This seemed like a great candidate to replace the prolific production that Arenado constantly provided the Rockies. Unfortunately, Montero’s development stalled as he struggled in the minors following the trade. Furthermore, his struggles followed him to the majors.
Montero made his debut in 2022 and appeared in a total of 204 games. In 738 plate appearances, he hit just .228/.278/.388 (76 OPS+) with a massive 30.6 percent strikeout rate. With other players establishing themselves this season and jumping over Montero on the corner infield and DH depth chart, the Rockies ultimately decided to move on.
Unfortunately for the organization, Montero’s legacy will be another loss for the infamously bad, possibly non-existent, player development system.
Photo Credit: © Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
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