Valaika’s pinch-hitting spark missing

Infielder hitting paltry .138 as he tries to stay with big-league club

Pat Valaika made his major-league hitting debut for Colorado on Sept. 8, 2016, and wasted no time recording a double in his opening at-bat.

And after hitting his first home run in his first start a few weeks later, Valaika kept the good omens coming with a 2017 campaign that saw him excel as a pinch hitter. He batted .328 (19-for-58) in 66 appearances in the role, and his 16 pinch-hit RBIs led all of baseball in addition to being the most by a rookie since 1958.

This year, though, the long and winding road to establishing oneself as a big-leaguer has kicked some dust up into Valaika’s face. After starting the season with the Rockies, the 25-year-old has been optioned twice to Triple-A Albuquerque, only to be recalled both times, the most recent repromotion coming June 23.

Hindering Valaika’s ability to permanently stick on the 25-man roster are lackluster offensive numbers to the tune of a .138 average (11-for-80) paired with just two RBIs and one longball, which came against the Dodgers last weekend.

But the continued opportunities provided by manager Bud Black to the versatile defender — Valaika came up in the minors as a middle infielder but has also gained experience at the corner spots — are evidence enough of the potential the club sees in him beyond the paltry .138 mark.

“Pat’s had a rough year statistically — and it’s been tough for him — but he’s hung in there,” Black said. “He had a big homer in L.A. to get us on the board against Rich Hill. He had a big 0-2 hit against Madison Bumgarner (on Monday). These are the things we need out of him, because it’s going to take all 25 guys to win.”

Valaika knows he needs to emerge as a reliable utility player off the bench again this season — “you look around our infield and we’ve got a bunch of studs, so it’s not like there’s spots up for grabs by any means,” he said — and believes his several stints with the Isotopes have primed him to break out in similar fashion to 2017.

“It was good to get at-bats and work on

things in TripleA, and now that I’m up here again, I have a better feel for my body and how it’s moving,” Valaika said. “I’m in a much better place mechanically than I was at the beginning of the season.”

Also vouching for Valaika’s continued progress — even if it’s still slow to show up in the stat line — is shortstop Trevor Story, who played with him throughout part of three seasons, and various stops, in the minors.

“It’s easier to take if a guy is struggling and you know he’s preparing and putting in all the work, which Pat always does,” Story said. “He plays really good defense. He’s got some thump in his bat. He’s just a solid ballplayer who has good atbats, and he’s one of those grinder guys who’s not going to go away.”

Footnotes. As expected, the Rockies recalled righthander Antonio Senzatela before Tuesday’s game against San Francisco for him to immediately start on the mound. The club’s corresponding move sent starter Chad Bettis to the disabled list with a blister on his middle throwing finger. That blister originally flared up during a start vs. Los Angeles on May 22 and then reemerged during the righthander’s shortened outing last Sunday. “This flareup was such where it wasn’t going to be ready in five days, and Chad agreed,” Black said. “How he felt in L.A., with the pain and discomfort he was in, was a sign this was not going to alleviate itself in five

days.”