Reliever Davis designated for assignment
The last member of the Rockies’ overpriced and underperforming relief pitching triumvirate signed before the 2018 season is out the door.
Veteran right- hander Wade Davis was designated for assignment Saturday, the team announced, in a move that signals the end of his time in Colorado. Davis began the season with a pair of saves at Texas, but a strained right shoulder derailed his year and comeback attempt with the Rockies.
“He was a great presence on our team and a great mentor for a lot of our younger pitchers. He was one of our leaders,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “The shoulder woes started happening and he just really couldn’t recover totally.”
Davis, 35, was reinstated from the injured list in mid- September, but he never found consistency, going 0- 1 with a dismal 20.77 ERA and two saves over five outings this season.
Since signing a three- year, $ 52 million contract prior to the 2018 season, Davis went 4- 13 with 60 saves in 70 opportunities and 122 appearances and posted a 6.49 ERA. He had an 8.01 ERA at Coors Field and a 4.22 ERA on the road.
It marked a steep drop from 2018 when Davis led the National League in saves ( 43) with a 4.13 ERA as the Rockies reached the playoffs. He simply couldn’t recapture that magic, and much like the other high- paid relievers Colorado signed before that season — Jake McGee ($ 27M) and Bryan Shaw ($ 27M) — Davis is no longer on the roster.
“( Davis) expressed today his desire to continue on to play,” Black said. “It was a very professional meeting. I don’t think any of us envisioned this happening at this juncture. But it did.”
Blackmon struggles. Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon has come back down to earth after his strong offensive start to the season. In the month of September, Blackmon has a .216 batting average with 11 hits and 14 strikeouts.
“I feel like I’ve been pretty inconsistent,” Blackmon said. “I’m preparing well and I’m competing well. I think I haven’t been as good, as of late, then when I was really hot earlier. That happens. But I still think I’m putting myself in a position to succeed.”
Added Black: “We’ve seen Charlie
try to get a little bit too big with his swing and expand the zone a little too much to get a base hit — which is not Charlie- like. But that could change at any moment. Chuck could get two or three hits tonight and start to get that feeling again.”
Footnotes. Additional moves for the Rockies on Saturday included selecting the contract of pitcher AJ Ramos from the training site at Metro State. … The club has also recalled right- hander Antonio Santos. … To make room on the roster for the pitchers, Colorado optioned right- hander Jesus Tinoco back to the alternate training site in Denver.