Rockies recall RHP Gray to start against Mariners

Eddie Butler has struggled in his short time with the Colorado Rockies.

The Colorado Rockies will promote starting pitching prospect Jon Gray to the major league roster. “I feel like I’ve been getting better throughout the season”.

Say what you will about the Rockies and whether they should’ve called him up earlier (I disagree with you still), now is as good a time as any to call up Gray, and let’s be real, he’s earned it. “The fastball was the only thing I could put in the zone with any authority”. He’s considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball.

Gray will face Nelson Cruz, who is batting.

Gray is being promoted to start Tuesday against the Mariners.

The third overall pick in the 2013 draft out of the Oklahoma University, Gray has spent his entire 2015 campaign with Triple-A Albuquerque.

“Jon will handle it very well”, Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “And he’s ready for this”. Throughout the two years that the Rockies have had Gray in their system, the front office has been waiting for him to polish some of the pitches in his repertoire and to lower his pitch count. All of the runs he allowed scored with two outs. “The first inning certainly was a factor”.

“I wasn’t expecting it, especially on this homestand”, he said. “That was the downfall”. Reynolds won only six games in his major league career.

“This kid’s got a little moxie about him”, McLendon said.

Gray was present at Coors Field and participated in batting practice on Monday prior to the Rockies’ series opener against the Mariners. Charlie Blackmon added four hits, including two doubles.

Colorado’s DJ LeMahieu bounced back from striking out five times Monday with two hits. 467 in a four-game weekend series at St. Louis.

After he departed, the wheels came off for the free-falling Rockies. Seattle touched him for two runs during a 33-pitch first inning. The Cardinals’ Randal Grichuk fanned five times on May 18 at the New York Mets.

“But bottom line”, Rockies player development director Zach Wilson said, “we weren’t going to send him (up) until he was absolutely ready for the challenge”.

Gray posted a 6-6 record in Triple-A with a 4.33 ERA in 20 starts with one relief appearance while notching 110 strikeouts and just 41 walks.