Colorado Rockies: Three players who are out of minor league options

When Jeff Bridich and Bud Black sit down to finalize the Colorado Rockies’ 25-man roster at the end of the month, there will be many factors weighing in on their decisions.

One of the biggest factors going into the decision, besides performance, is whether or not a player has any minor league options left. Unfortunately for Raimel Tapia, Tom Murphy, and Carlos Estévez, they have not solidified their spot on the Colorado Rockies roster and are all out of minor league options.

Of the three, Tapia is the most likely to make the Opening Day roster. After proving all that he can in the minors, Tapia has been waiting for his opportunity to prove himself in the Majors. With the starting outfield set, he and newly acquired veteran and former All-Star Michael Saunders are battling for the backup role. Unless the Rockies decide to keep five outfielders, Saunders will likely be the odd man out.

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Hard-throwing right-handed Carlos Estévez has had difficulty staying healthy throughout his young career. After missing all of last season with oblique and right elbow injuries, Estévez has impressed early this spring with his upper 90s velocity. Finding a spot for him in the bullpen may be difficult as most roles seem to be already filled but exposing a player with as much talent as Estévez to waivers may force the Rockies’ hand.

The hardest roster decision will revolve around Tom Murphy. Bud Black recently confirmed that the Rockies will not being carrying three catchers, leaving Murphy and Tony Wolters battling to backup veteran Chris Iannetta behind the plate. Murphy has had the best spring offensively so far but since Black prioritizes defense over offense, Murphy will likely have to clear waivers before rejoining the organization in Triple-A.

There is a lot of spring training left with Opening Day still three weeks away, but some difficult decisions are looming. It is going to be fascinating to watch as the pressure mounts on these three players to make the roster and stay with the Rockies’ organization.

Editor’s Note (March 10th, 2019): It has since been noted that Carlos Estevez is not out of options in 2019 due to “complicated regulations regarding full seasons played and age at the time of signing,” according to a tweet by Thomas Harding of MLB.com.