Quintana, Freeland pitch scoreless ball in Double-A rehab outings
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NEW YORK – Rockies left-handers Jose Quintana and Kyle Freeland had rehab assignments for Double-A Hartford on Wednesday night, and they pitched a combined five scoreless innings in a 4-0 victory over Somerset.
Quintana (left elbow sprain) pitched two innings and allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one. Freeland (cervical radiculopathy) didn’t allow a hit in his three innings on the mound, walking one and striking out five.
Both hurlers said they felt great and without pain, but it’s not known when they will return to the big leagues.
Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said Quintana will get another rehab start. Freeland will return to the big league mound before Quintana, the skipper said.
Quintana hasn’t pitched in a Major League game since May 24 because of the elbow injury. Quintana said the season has been frustrating because he has never had an elbow injury until this year. He is a free agent after the season and plans to pitch in 2027.
“In May I was starting to pitch better, and then I got hurt,” Quintana said. “At some point, I didn’t think I was going to be healthy. The last two weeks, I’ve been feeling really good. I had a PRP [platelet-rich plasma] injection, and it worked. It was hard to handle [the injury] because I never had elbow issues before.
“I’m glad I didn’t need surgery. My elbow is healthy. I want to keep pitching.”
After walking Jace Avina to start the third on Wednesday, Freeland retired the next eight hitters he faced.
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“I got in the zone early. I was ahead of the hitters. I was able to get to my breaking stuff and execute that,” Freeland said.
A Colorado native, Freeland is also a free agent after 2026. He said he is not sure what his plans are.
In 23 starts this season, Freeland is 4-10 with a 6.37 ERA. He holds Rockies franchise records with 254 career starts, 115 quality starts and 1,384 2/3 innings pitched. He’s second in strikeouts (1,074), third in wins (69) and seventh with a 4.71 ERA (minimum 100 starts).
“Moving forward, I’m at the end of a contract. There are a lot of different variables. I’m from Denver – born and raised. I’ve been with this organization for 12 years now,” Freeland said. “We’ll see what happens. I’m not ruling anything out. I’m not letting anything go. It would be nice to spend an entire career in Colorado, but there are ways where everything works. I’m keeping an open mind on everything.”