Colorado Rockies Send Castro to Triple-A, Recall Flande

Something hasn’t been right for Miguel Castro of the Colorado Rockies since coming back from the disabled list in mid-May. On Saturday, the Rockies said it was time to figure out exactly what that was.

Castro was sent to Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday, prior to the Rockies hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third game of a four-game series. Yohan Flande was called up from Triple-A and added to the 40-man roster in a corresponding move.

With Flande’s call-up, the Rockies now have a full 40-man roster.

The 21-year-old Castro has a 12.27 ERA over his last seven games, giving up nine hits and five runs in 3.2 innings while striking out just two batters.

After pitching against the Chicago Cubs on April 17, Castro began to suffer from right shoulder inflammation and was subsequently placed on the 15-day disabled list with the injury. At the time, Castro had a 1.50 ERA and had fanned eight in six innings of work.

More from Rox Pile

• A Colorado Rockies Thanksgiving
• Colorado Rockies: What if Todd Helton had played football instead?
• Colorado Rockies: Charlie Blackmon out for the season
• Colorado Rockies: Injuries shift look of roster ahead of Dodgers series
• Colorado Rockies: Has Sean Bouchard earned a second look in 2023?

All went well for Castro when he returned to the Colorado mound on May 20, working the next two games for an inning each without being scored upon. From there, however, things went south quickly.

He would give up four runs in his next two May appearances to blossom his ERA to 9.82 for the month. His WHIP would also jump from 0.67 in April to 2.18 in May.

Castro’s appearance on Saturday night against Arizona was yet another stumbling block for the young reliever and part of a disastrous seventh inning that saw the Diamondbacks score six times. Castro was tagged for two runs and retired just one batter in his outing, part of a month that saw his ERA climb to 6.14 overall.

The 30-year-old Flande will be making his first appearance on the active roster this season. He made 19 appearances, 10 starts, with the Rockies in 2015, going 3-3 with a 4.74 ERA. He made his Major League debut with the Rockies in 2014, going 0-6 with a 5.19 ERA in 16 games, with 10 of those being starts.

Overall with the Colorado Rockies, Flande is 1-1 with a 2.77 ERA in 15 career relief appearances. He hasn’t had as much luck in a starting role, posting a 2-8 mark with a 5.51 ERA in 20 career starts.

It’s expected that Flande’s major role with the Rockies will be out of the bullpen.

Next: The Top 5 Catchers in Colorado History

In 18 games, one start, with Triple-A Albuquerque this season, Flande is 3-3 with a 4.25 ERA, 52 hits, 14 walks and 27 strikeouts.