SAN FRANCISCO -- Mike Tauchman's Monday evening got off to a rocky start.
He struck out three times in an extra-inning loss for Triple-A Albuquerque in Fresno before getting pulled aside by manager Glenallen Hill. The skipper had a message that was about to make Tauchman's night a lot better.
"He goes, 'If you do that tomorrow in the big leagues, I'm going to be mad at you,'" Tauchman said. "I kind of just looked at him and he's like, 'Yeah, man.' I said, 'Are you serious right now?' He kind of slid it right in there, but that's his personality."
Just like that, Tauchman found out he was Bay Area-bound to join the Rockies.
Before Tuesday's contest against the Giants, Colorado officially selected Tauchman's contract from Albuquerque while sending right-handed reliever Jairo Diaz to Triple-A following a one-day MLB stint and moving outfielder David Dahl (rib stress reaction) to the 60-day disabled list.
"It's definitely a blessing," Tauchman said. "This team is a real quality team. During my time up in Spring Training you could see that. To be able to be a part of a team that has so many expectations and goals for themselves is a really cool thing."
Tauchman was able to enter Tuesday's 4-3, 14-inning loss to the Giants as a pinch-hitter in the 12th inning but only saw one pitch, which he slapped to second base for a groundout in his first MLB at-bat.
A career .295 hitter in the Minors, Tauchman's home run total has spiked in 2017. In 70 contests, Tauchman slashed .313/.377/.529 with 10 homers, 55 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. He had just eight home runs combined in his first four professional seasons.
"I definitely feel like my swing has gotten a lot better from I'd say a year ago," Tauchman said. "There's been a bit of trial and error with that and a lot of figuring things out, sometimes the hard way. I feel good and I'm just grateful for the opportunity to try and help a team that's trying to make a playoff push."
Rockies manager Bud Black said he's confident Tauchman's consistent approach will lend itself to success against MLB pitching. The skipper also said he believes Tauchman can handle all three outfield positions with no problems.
"No doubt about it," Black said. "His ability to cover all three is a plus for him as a player. Our Minor League development people feel very strongly about [Tauchman] that he's a very good defender. Glenallen felt the same way in our conversations about Michael. Good baserunner, he can steal you a base, he can give you a good quality at-bat."
With Tauchman's arrival, Colorado now has a four-man bench and a nine-man bullpen, though more roster moves could be coming in the near future with the return of Opening Day starter Jon Gray.
Worth noting
• Black announced that southpaw starter Tyler Anderson (left knee inflammation) will undergo arthroscopic surgery Friday in Denver to "clean up some loose bodies and kind of clean up the joint." Anderson is in the midst of his second stint on the DL due to left knee inflammation. He pitched 2 1/3 innings Sunday before exiting the game with left leg discomfort.
• Black confirmed that Gray (left foot stress fracture) will return to the mound for Friday's series opener against Arizona. Gray, who went 10-10 with a 4.61 ERA in 2016, hasn't pitched for the Rockies since April 13.