SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Rockies challenged third baseman Kyle Karros and first baseman TJ Rumfield to prove themselves this spring, and both were rewarded with Opening Day roster spots, manager Warren Schaeffer announced on Sunday.
Here were other decisions revealed by Schaeffer in advance of Friday’s season opener at Miami.
- Right-hander Ryan Feltner will be the fifth starter, with second-year righty Chase Dollander beginning the season in the bullpen. The rotation before Feltner will be lefty Kyle Freeland, righty Michael Lorenzen, lefty Jose Quintana and righty Tomoyuki Sugano.
- Non-roster catcher Brett Sullivan, a left-handed hitter who has seen Major League time with the Padres (2023-24) and Pirates (2025), has made the team because of his strong spring and left-handed bat. Right-handed hitting Braxton Fulford, a rookie last season, will begin the year at Triple-A Albuquerque.
Schaeffer announced the rotation and most of the non-pitchers on Sunday. In the infield, Karros and Rumfield will be joined by versatile Willi Castro, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and first baseman/second baseman Edouard Julien. The outfield mix will include Brenton Doyle, Jordan Beck, Jake McCarthy and Mickey Moniak, who figures to be a regular at designated hitter. Right-handed hitter Ryan Ritter has made the club as a utility player.
One roster spot remains undecided. Right-handed-hitting Tyler Freeman, a regular in right field last year who is expected to play in the infield and outfield, has been nursing a back problem for much of the spring. If Freeman is not available to start the season, the likely option would be left-handed-hitting first baseman/outfielder Troy Johnston.
Here’s a look at the decisions:
EARNING IT:
Part of the reason for the Rockies’ recent struggles was that young players were often forced into the Majors before they were ready. The new Rockies front office signed the switch-hitting Castro, who will begin the season at second base but will move all over the field for matchup purposes, and traded with the Diamondbacks for McCarthy and with the Twins for Julien.
Karros, 23, was a case to watch. He showed possibilities with the bat and elite defense during his late callup last year, but he had played in just 237 Minor League games.
"He has not had a ton of Minor League seasoning, and we talked to him about that before camp started, that this wasn’t a lock for him,” Schaeffer said. “He had to go do his thing. It became blatantly obvious that he’s ready to play third base in the big leagues on both sides of the ball.
An example of the steadiness of Karros, whose father spent much of a 14-season career with the Dodgers, came in Saturday’s 6-5 loss to the Royals at Surprise.
Karros went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and a double-play grounder in the top of the first, but he made a diving stop to start a double play and help Freeland out of a jam in the bottom of the inning.
Rumfield, 25, acquired from the Yankees for right-handed reliever Angel Chivilli before camp, was more in line with what the Rockies were seeking. Rumfield spent the last two years at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. All the training led to a camp that, going into Sunday, saw Rumfield with an .899 OPS with four home runs, five walks and one strikeout in 20 spring contests.
"You can tell it’s really important to him, not just to be a big leaguer, but to be a successful one for a long time,” Schaeffer said. “It’s like any other profession. You want to pump your whole life into it.”
NO MONDAY SHOWDOWN
Feltner and Dollander being scheduled to pitch in Monday's exhibition game against the Tigers had all the makings of a mound showdown for the fifth starter role. But Schaeffer said all along that much more went into the decision than stats, and deciding such a role on one game in March was silly.
The separator was precision that Feltner, 29, has earned through experience -- 68 games (67 starts) over five seasons, with a dominant stretch at the end of 2024.
"When Feltner did get ahead [in the count], he was our best pitcher in camp -- it was just a matter of getting him ahead more,” Schaeffer said. “There's been a commitment to that. We like Feltner’s track record of success in the big leagues.”
Feltner is healthy after being limited to six starts last season because of back and right shoulder injuries.
Schaeffer said the Rockies see Dollander, 24, “as an eventual front-line rotation guy,” but he has been working on putting away hitters when he’s ahead. He’ll continue to work on that, as he and righty Antonio Senzatela will serve as long relievers.
"The best path for him in our minds is to be a length guy in the bullpen,” Schaeffer said. “That’s where we’re going to start the season and we’re going to evaluate and move forward as we go.”
CATCHING NEEDS
Sullivan, 32, who hit .378 with five doubles in 16 spring games, is a left-handed complement to Goodman and has more experience working with pitchers. Fulford, 27, will catch regularly at Triple-A Albuquerque after a solid offensive spring (.270, 3 HR).