Rockies' pitching staff set for boost with Freeland returning

The Rockies’ starting rotation is expected to get even stronger this week when the team activates left-hander Kyle Freeland from the 15-day injured list. He is expected to be activated and start Tuesday night's first game of a three-game series against the Reds in Cincinnati.

Freeland, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury since April 15 (retroactive to April 13), had his final bullpen on Sunday at Citi Field and said he is ready to help the Rockies, who swept the three-game series against the Mets this past weekend. Before the injury, Freeland was off to his best start since 2018, allowing four runs in 15 2/3 innings with 13 strikeouts. He credits pitching coach Alon Leichman and catchers Hunter Goodman and Brett Sullivan for his success thus far.

“I checked all the boxes that [I] wanted to check during the 15 days,” Freeland said. “I felt great from the live BPs and the two bullpens I had. Yeah, I’m ready to go.

“With Alon’s pitch calling and my two batterymates behind the plate, everything has been great. The entire pitch mix has been working really well. I’ve had good command since the start of the season. I want to pick up where I left off when I went on the IL.”

Freeland noticed that there is a different vibe in the Rockies’ locker room this year, and it’s starting to show in the wins column. By beating the Mets, it was the Rockies’ third series win against a team that had a .500 record or better last year -- the Blue Jays and Astros are the others. And don’t forget that Colorado also split a four-game series against the Dodgers two weekends ago. It starts with the culture that manager Warren Schaeffer created during Spring Training.

“The conversations that we had last season, into the offseason and throughout Spring Training are all culture driven,” Freeland said. “What we are doing so far from Spring Training to now, everything is starting to unfold, and it has been great. The vibes have been great, guys have been energetic and looking to learn. We are excited to get to the ballpark and play ball that night and try to get wins.”

What a difference a year makes

Right-hander Chase Dollander is arguably the best pitcher on the Rockies. As a starter and reliever, he has a 2.25 ERA (eight earned runs in 32 innings), which ranks fourth in the National League with a minimum of 30 innings pitched. He also leads Colorado in bWAR (1.4).

This is the same guy who was hit hard in 2025, his rookie year, going 2-12 with a 6.52 ERA.

What changed?

Dollander is more aggressive on the mound. He is no longer timid when facing big league hitters.

“I don’t want to say I was afraid, because that is the wrong word,” Dollander said. “I didn’t want to throw my stuff in the zone, but this year, I said, ‘Hey, go right after them.’ You throw 100 [miles per hour]. You have to throw your stuff in the zone. I changed my mechanics, and it helps me get in the zone a lot better.”