Colorado Rockies Designate Rafael Betancourt For Assignment

Jun 6, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies first baseman W. Rosario (20) hugs relief pitcher R. Betancourt (63) after their game against the Miami Marlins at Coors Field. The Rockies won 10-5. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Rockies made several roster moves to shore up the bullpen ahead of their Sunday afternoon game against the New York Mets at Coors Field.

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The Colorado Rockies made a few moves on Sunday morning in anticipation of their final game against the New York Mets in a few hours, as well as getting ready for their east coast road trip that begins Monday in Atlanta.

The most notable of the moves is that Rafael Betancourt, the Colorado Rockies’ longtime ace reliever who has fallen on hard times after an injury recently, has been designated for assignment by the team.

In related moves, reliever Justin Miller has been sent back down to AAA Albuquerque, and relievers Simon Castro and Jairo Diaz have been recalled from the Isotopes.

Both Castro and Diaz would be making their Colorado Rockies’ debuts once they enter a game for the club (each pitched briefly in the big leagues last season for the White Sox, and Angels, respectively).

We’ve written about Castro and Diaz very recently, for those wanting more information about the two right-handed power relievers. Diaz routinely throws 100 mph, though he hasn’t had a dominant year in Albuquerque, often because of his struggles to command pitches.

Thomas Harding of MLB.com tweeted out the information first:

Obviously, for Rafael Betancourt, the news was likely a surprise. Even though he threw a perfect inning in Saturday night’s game, though, he had struggled quite a bit this year and may not get another shot in the big leagues after his sub-par season.

Nevertheless, he’ll leave the Rockies as one of the best relievers in club history, joining the team in 2009 and closing for several years until Tommy John surgery tripped him up last season.

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