Colorado Rockies: Don’t expect the three-man bench to last long

On Saturday, the Colorado Rockies made a necessary move by bringing up a reliever to help their depleted bullpen. However, with the move, the Rockies also lessened their offensive possibilities.

With the Colorado Rockies sending down Brendan Rodgers and recalling Jesus Tinoco, the Rockies bullpen received a much-needed fresh arm on Saturday as Colorado burned through its relievers in a historic 16-12 extra-inning loss to the San Diego Padres on Friday night. However, trading a reliever for an infielder also meant that the Rockies were down a player on their bench for Saturday night’s game.

That trend continued on Sunday as David Dahl, Tony Wolters and Mark Reynolds were Colorado’s options off the bench if needed. However, Rockies fans can expect the three-man bench to end quickly with Monday’s off day and Tuesday’s start of a nine-game swing through the National League West.

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So what does that mean for the Rockies? It means that there could very well be a roster move in time for Tuesday’s opener against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

There are several directions the Rockies could go.with the roster move, but don’t expect to see Rodgers recalled so quickly. If Colorado is looking for infield depth, Garrett Hampson or Pat Valaika could rejoin the team. Heading into Sunday, Valaika is hitting just .238 over his last 10 games, dropping his Triple-A average to .335 for the season in 182 at-bats. Hampson, meanwhile, is hitting .273 over his last 10 games but has struck out in 11 of his last 44 at-bats.

Dahl was not in Sunday’s starting lineup for the Rockies after being hit in the ribs by a pitch on Saturday night. He stayed in the game and finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and did eventually pinch hit on Sunday in the sixth inning. If the Rockies are looking for outfield depth, Yonathan Daza could get his third call-up of the season. He’s hitting .500 (22-for-44) over his last 10 games but is just 1-for-18 during his time with Colorado this season. Noel Cuevas is also an option, but he’s in the middle of a 5-for-28 stretch with the Isotopes.

Tinoco is likely the reliever to lose his spot in the bullpen with the move as the Rockies will have plenty of right-handed options. Plus, with the off day on Monday, Colorado’s bullpen should be refreshed heading into an important stretch of the schedule.