Following the Rockies’ 6-2 loss to the Marlins on Sunday, Rockies manager Bud Black said the club would “take a step back” regarding struggling right-handed reliever Bryan Shaw.
That step back arrived Sunday when the Rockies placed Shaw on the 10-day disabled list with what the club is calling a strained right calf. It is the first time in his career that Shaw has been put on the DL.
Replacing Shaw in the bullpen is right-hander Yency Almonte, 24, who was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday. Almonte was originally recalled on Thursday for his first stint on the major-league roster, and he made his big-league debut that night, pitching a hitless inning of relief while allowing a sacrifice fly. Almonte made his second big-league appearance on Friday night, allowing two unearned runs on one hit and one walk while recording his first big-league strikeout. Almonte made nine starts at Triple-A this season, going 1-4 with a 6.27 ERA.
Shaw, who signed a three-year, $27 million contract to come to Colorado, has been arguably the club’s biggest disappointment. He’s made major-league most 41 appearances, but is 3-5 with a 7.57 ERA. It’s only June 24, but he’s already tied his career high by giving up eight home runs.
Shaw’s frustrating peaked on Saturday when served up a grand slam to Miami’s J.T. Realmuto in the seventh inning of the Marlins’ victory. It was the first grand slam given up by Shaw in his big-league career. The loss ended Colorado’s four-game winning streak and dropped it back under .500 with a 38-39 record.
Prior to the Rockies putting Shaw on the DL, manager Bud Black discussed why Shaw has been so ineffective.
Asked if Shaw has enough movement on his pitches, Black replied: “Yes. Sometimes too big. What he’s not getting is the consistent movement in the right spot. The consistent movement pitch to pitch is what he desires. Is it too big of movement out of the strike zone? Yes. The inconsistency of the movement is part of the issue, as well as the location.”
Asked if Shaw would get time to regroup, Black answered: “He’s not going to pitch today. We’ve tried to do that a little bit, but the nature of our games and our bullpen and what’s happening during the course of our games hasn’t allowed us to do that — with a lot of our guys.”