Colorado Rockies: Brendan Rodgers and the new balancing act

The Colorado Rockies called up their top prospect on Friday night, to the delight of Rockies fans around the world. Now comes the biggest question of all: What comes next when it comes to Brendan Rodgers and the balance of playing time?

Colorado Rockies fans were excited to see Brendan Rodgers finally take the field in Philadelphia on Friday night. Despite an 0-for-4 debut, Rodgers simply being on the field was a breath of fresh air for many hoping to see a boost as the Rockies struggle to once again reach the .500 mark and will once again be battling for a spot in the postseason.

Rodgers started at second base on Friday night and drew the start again on Saturday. Yes, the future is here … but what does that mean for another big piece of Colorado’s future, Ryan McMahon?

McMahon (who has 25 starts this season) has not been in the starting lineup since the arrival of Rodgers. It’s hard to get playing time at third ahead of Nolan Arenado and first base has both Daniel Murphy and Mark Reynolds lending a veteran presence. With the corners locked down and Trevor Story manning shortstop, that leaves second base as the logical spot for both Rodgers and McMahon. So now the Rockies seem to have another decision when it comes to their prospects and their playing time.

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Do they primarily play Rodgers and let him develop while McMahon watches from the bench? Do they flip the scenario and let McMahon continue to grow in his position with regular at-bats while Rodgers watches? Do they move a couple of veterans out of the majority of at-bats at first base to let McMahon and Rodgers both have playing time?

There are a lot of options for Bud Black when he makes out his lineup card, but there’s only one real opportunity to have both Rodgers and McMahon on the field at the same time for more than just random games when Story and/or Arenado need a break. And that would involve pushing veteran bats to the bench, which has rarely been the case with Black at the helm.

Black addressed this on Saturday as Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reported in this article. Black told Saunders that he talked to McMahon, explained the arrival of Rodgers and what it would mean to his playing time. He also stated that he believed playing a younger player into an everyday role actually hurt his development more than helped it.

This month, in 12 games, McMahon has posted a .281 average with a home run and four RBIs. This season, in 99 at-bats, RyMac is hitting .242 with three home runs and 14 RBIs. It has not been spectacular, but Rockies fans know the bar at second base has been set high with DJ LeMahieu‘s shadow still hovering over the position.

Can Black balance Rodgers and McMahon without setting either of them back in their trajectory toward being solid contributors for the Rockies? There is no question that they are both a part of the franchise’s future, but there could be quite a juggling act to make sure they keep progressing in the present.