Colorado Rockies: Kyle Freeland returns to the starting rotation

Kyle Freeland has not made a start since July 9 when he nearly threw a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox on the Sunday before the All-Star break.

On Sunday, Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland will return to the rotation to face the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. He was briefly moved to the bullpen to reduce his workload after his start on July 9. Of course, that was the start in which Freeland went 8 1/3 innings and had a no-hitter going into the ninth inning and on pitch number 126 to Chicago White Sox outfielder Melky Cabrera, Freeland gave up a bloop hit to left field. That was the final pitch he would throw of the afternoon as Rockies manager Bud Black pulled Freeland.

Freeland in the bullpen

Freeland only made one appearance out of the bullpen and it was more than a week ago on July 15 against the New York Mets.

Freeland pitched three innings in long relief as that was the game that Tyler Chatwood left in the first inning after straining his right calf. Freeland, in those three innings, did not give up a hit or a run. He only walked one and struck out four on 43 pitches.

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Could Freeland still be sent to the minor leagues?

Freeland could still be sent to the minor leagues to put a hold on his MLB service time clock. If he were to be sent down to the minor leagues just for two weeks, the Rockies would get an extra year of control of him (if you want to learn more about MLB service time, this article from 2015 is what you would want). This happened to Antonio Senzatela. However, he was only in the minor leagues for one week so he could be sent to the minors again.

For Freeland and Senzatela both, this would almost certainly happen if the Rockies acquire one or more starting pitchers at the trade deadline.

Final Thoughts

I would expect that Freeland’s return to the rotation will not be for long as he will return to the bullpen or make a trip to Albuquerque to slow his service time. However, by late August and early September, I would expect Freeland to return to the rotation for the long haul as the Rockies will be pushing for a playoff spot.