ROSARIO GETS ANOTHER CHANCE AT FIRST BASE
Wilin Rosario returned to Colorado on Tuesday as the Rockies called up a slew of minor-leaguers on the first day Major League Baseball allowed expanded rosters.
The veteran slugger may be playing for his job.
Colorado’s experiment with Rosario — the team tried to convert him from a catcher to a first baseman — has largely been a whiff. The Rockies demoted Rosario on July 28, for the second time this season, after he continued to struggle defensively at first base.
“It’s time to show what I’ve learned playing at first,” Rosario said.
At the plate, Rosario seemed to take his demotions in stride. In 38 games with the Albuquerque Isotopes, he hit .297 with seven home runs and 12 doubles.
Rockies manager Walt Weiss immediately put Rosario in the lineup Tuesday so he could face Arizona left-hander Patrick Corbin in the first game of a doubleheader. Rosario went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and committed an error at first.
“I was happy to get a chance to throw him in there right away,” Weiss said. “Historically, Wilin has been pretty good against lefthanded pitching.”
But with the Rockies this season, Rosario has just one home run against left-handed pitchers.
“Hitting is tough. One day, you come to the park and you feel like a monster, like nobody can get you out,” Rosario said. “It’s great to have those moments. But you have to be consistent. You have to feel like that more often.”
Rosario started the season as a backup at first behind veteran Justin Morneau. But even with Morneau missing most of the season with a concussion and neck injury, Rosario didn’t take over the top spot. Ben Paulsen, in his first significant big-league role, played well enough to earn to become the starter. Kyle Parker, an outfielder-first baseman, also got a call-up before Rosario.
Castro gets called up.
The Rockies called up relievers Rex Brothers and Miguel Castro and shortstop Cristhian Adames, and they activated reliever Boone Logan.
Castro pitched in his first game for Colorado since arriving as part of the Troy Tulowitzki trade with Toronto. The 20-yearold right-hander allowed four runs on three hits, including a three-run homer, in taking