Colorado Rockies Roster Moves: Bergman Optioned, Gurka Released

With the Colorado Rockies bringing top prospect Jeff Hoffman up to pitch on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, roster moves had to be made to accommodate his presence. Those moves were made before Hoffman’s debut at Coors Field.

With Hoffman on neither the Rockies’ 25-man nor 40-man roster prior to the weekend, two moves needed to be made to make room for the young right-hander. To make room on the 25-man roster, Christian Bergman was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. To make room on the 40-man roster, southpaw Jason Gurka given his unconditional release.

Hoffman’s debut is much-anticipated and, talking to Colorado manager Walt Weiss before Saturday’s game, the move has been expected for some time.

“Getting a look at him in spring training, we figured he was going to be in the mix at some point this year,” Weiss said. “Tonight’s that night. He’s making his Major League debut and that’s a big deal. We’re not necessarily easing him in, pitching against the team with the best record in Major League Baseball. We feel like he’s ready for this, physically, mentally and emotionally. He’s ready to take that mound in a big league game and get his Major League career started.”

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Weiss said he is trying to make sure Hoffman stays the same pitcher he has always been rather than trying to morph into a different hurler.

“I talked with Jeff about that it comes down to executing pitches, whether you’re here or at the minor league level,” Weiss said. “If you make pitches, you get outs, especially when you have his type of stuff. Don’t make it any more than it is as far as thinking about what he needs to do to be successful. Sometimes players come up and feel like they have to be somebody else and throw harder or they have to make their breaking pitch even more nasty. If you make pitches, you’ll get outs.”

Hoffman will also have a sympathetic ear in Jon Gray, who was brought up by the Rockies to much fanfare late last season.

“It always helps to be around people who have walked in your shoes. I’m sure the two of them will have a lot to talk about,” Weiss smiled. “That experience is critical, especially for Jonny coming into this year. He was expected to be part of the rotation. He has some history to fall back on, the fact he got called up the year before. He had some success and some failures. That’s a big part of a young pitcher’s growth. That’s what Jeff is going to experience, but it’ll be valuable experience.”

Bergman was recalled from Triple-A on Tuesday and made one appearance, pitching one inning and allowing two runs against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday.

Next: Weiss Talks More About Hoffman

Gurka was a member of his first Opening Day roster this season and went 0-0 with a 9.31 ERA (9.2 IP, 10 ER), two walks and seven strikeouts in six appearances with the Rockies. He was optioned to Triple-A on April 22, where he went 0-1 with a 1.69 ERA with four saves, six walks and 31 strikeouts in 18 games.

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