Colorado Rockies podcast: The roster impact of the Scott Oberg news

With news breaking on Friday night that Colorado Rockies reliever Scott Oberg has undergone another surgery to remove blood clots, there are plenty of questions about what his absence will mean for the team and his health.

What impact will Scott Oberg’s surgery have on the Colorado Rockies roster?

There were plenty of questions remaining about the Rockies heading into Opening Day, and that was before Kyle Freeland was lost earlier this week for at least a month with a shoulder strain and Thomas Harding of MLB.com reporting that Oberg had undergone surgery for the same condition that cost him the entire 2020 campaign and time on the mound before that as well.

The loss of Oberg to the bullpen and the clubhouse can’t be overstated. Along with Daniel Bard, Oberg was expected to return this season and be an option for closing games. This spring, he had looked healthy and solid on the mound, making four scoreless appearances covering four innings. Now, Bard will enter the season as the closer with Mychal Givens and Yency Almonte likely holding down the setup roles.

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Oberg’s absence will create a domino effect in the bullpen, creating an opening on the roster and in a relief role. The question remains of if the Rockies will carry 14 pitchers and 12 position players into the season and split the load evenly at 13 each. Rockies manager Bud Black has not tipped his hand on that strategy and likely won’t until Colorado wraps up its spring training schedule on March 30 with a game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick against the Chicago White Sox.

In our latest podcast, we discuss Oberg’s legacy with the Rockies, what his absence could mean for the team, and who will take his place on the roster and in the bullpen. You can hear the episode by listening below.

We will have more on Oberg’s surgery and its impact in the coming days at RoxPile.com.