Why Is Alving Mejias On The Rockies’ 40-Man Roster?

Mar 25, 2015; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, AZ, USA; General view of the game between the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

If the Colorado Rockies’ official website is to be believed, a minor league pitcher named Alving Mejias has been added to the 40-man roster.

Click the screenshot to see his name on the 40-man (and active – without an asterisk) roster as of 1:57 pm MT on Monday, March 30:

Alving Mejias listed as a pitcher on the 40-man roster on March 30, 2015.

According to the transactions page, Mejias and five other minor leaguers were added to the Rockies’ roster on the 29th to help with spring games.

Another screenshot, look at March 29th:

Alving Mejias and five other minor leaguers were added yesterday, yet Mejias is the only one on the 40-man roster.

Like our friends at Purple Row indicate below, the language is important when adding a player to the 40-man roster. The Rockies “select the contract” of players who are actually joining the 40-man; they “assign” minor leaguers during Spring Training to help the big league club and eat innings, get work in Major League Spring Training games, etc. (One of those other players assigned to the Rockies along with Mejias, Tyler Ybarra, pitched yesterday in the game against the Diamondbacks in Hermosillo, for example.)

Mejias would be a surprise for the 40-man roster considering he’s never pitched above Class-A Advanced, he’s got a career WHIP above 1.4, and he’s only struck out 7.2 batters per nine innings in his career. He only just crossed the 9+ strikeouts per nine innings threshold in Modesto last season, after some poor numbers in the low minors.

Additionally, he’ll be 24 in December, so it’s not like he’s significantly young for his minor league level. So if this is to be believed… it’s a weird addition to the 40-man roster.

Bizarre stuff. Probably just an error or mis-print by somebody in the Rockies’ digital media realm, considering that he’s the only one of the six “assigned” players to make it on to the 40-man.

Or maybe, as Jake Shapiro at Rockies Zingers argues, we’ve got a new Opening Day starter!