The Rockies announced that infielder Tyler Freeman has been placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 10) due to a left oblique strain. Infield prospect Adael Amador has been called up from Triple-A to take Freeman’s spot on the active roster, as Amador hinted via a message on his Instagram page yesterday.
Freeman suffered his injury while taking warm-up swings in the cage prior to Saturday’s game, so he was a late scratch from the lineup. The only question now is the severity of Freeman’s strain, as even a mild oblique problem will likely mean that the infielder will miss 2-3 weeks of action. The injury adds to what has been a rough start to Freeman’s season and tenure in Colorado, as he has just one hit over his first 16 trips to the plate in a Rockies uniform.
Acquired in a late spring trade with the Guardians for Nolan Jones, Freeman was viewed as a versatile utility option that could help the Rox all over the field. Six of his seven games have come at the second base position, ostensibly in a timeshare with Kyle Farmer though Farmer has been getting a lot more playing time due to his hot bat. Farmer is also a multi-position player, so the Rockies could move him to one of their multiple struggling spots on the diamond in order to free up second base for Amador, as the Rox surely want to give him plenty of playing time in his second stint in the majors.
Amador had only a .394 OPS over 36 plate appearances and 10 games with Colorado last season, as his brief debut in the Show was cut short by a month-long IL trip due to an oblique issue of his own. The Rockies optioned Amador back to Double-A Hartford after his IL activation, and the infielder finished his first full season of Double-A ball with a .230/.343/.376 slash line, 14 homers, and 35 stolen bases (in 46 attempts).
The 2024 promotion was seen as a surprise, given how Amador had never played in Triple-A and he hadn’t even amassed much success (or playing time) at Double-A before the Rockies debuted him in the big leagues. Starting the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Albuquerque, Amador is at least hitting well with a .275/.408/.450 slash line and two home runs, though he still has only 49 PA on his resume at the top minor league level.
Amador received top-100 prospect attention prior to both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, though among the major pundits, Baseball Prospectus (at #79) was the only outlet that still had Amador in their 2025 rankings following his lackluster 2024 campaign. Amador is just two days removed from his 22nd birthday, so it is far too early to write off his potential as a future second-base staple in Denver.