WASHINGTON -- The Rockies' No. 20 prospect, right-hander Mason Adams earned his Major League debut -- which will happen on Tuesday when he starts against the Nationals -- with a simple approach.
Adams, 26, acquired in the Trade Deadline deal that sent center fielder Brenton Doyle to the White Sox, posted a 2.08 ERA in three starts at Triple-A Albuquerque. He held Las Vegas to one run on three hits with four strikeouts and no walks in five innings in his most recent outing Thursday -- a game that ended in a 10-7 Albuquerque loss.
But Adams did exactly what the Rockies saw when they scouted him, and what the Rockies wanted to see before promoting him to their struggling rotation.
“It was the same approach that it has been: just filling it up early in the zone,” he said. “Breaking balls at the bottom, mixed speeds as much as I could.”
Adams had a strong Spring Training with the White Sox in 2025, but he underwent Tommy John surgery on April 2 and missed the season. In his return, Adams made 14 appearances -- the last nine (seven starts) with Triple-A Charlotte, where he posted a 4.25 ERA and struck out 36 against 17 walks in 36 innings.
“I definitely thought at some point last year I might get a shot, but that’s just how it goes,” said Adams, a 13th-round White Sox pick out of Jacksonville University in 2022. “It was a long road back, but it makes it sweet when you go through that recovery process and make it.”
COMPLETE ROCKIES PROSPECT COVERAGE
The Rockies have quickly folded their upper-level Deadline acquisitions into the Major League squad. Adams joins infielder Connor Norby, who is 9-for-31 with one home run in 11 games since coming from the Marlins; righty reliever Nick Frasso, who has a 5.63 ERA in his seven-game Major League debut since his arrival from the Dodgers; and lefty reliever Mark Manfredi, who has a 3.00 ERA through three Major League games after being acquired from the Brewers.
The Rockies have not announced Adams' promotion, but the move is expected to be made official Tuesday. The club will need to make a roster move to add him.
For Monday’s opener of the four-game series against the Nationals, Colorado called up righty reliever Blake Adams (no relation) and added him to the 26-man Major League roster. He takes the place of injured lefty Kyle Freeland, who went on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 21) with a pinched nerve in his neck.
Blake Adams has a 6.52 ERA in 25 games (two starts) between Albuquerque and Double-A Hartford. Much like Mason Adams, attacking the strike zone in recent outings -- after taking about three Triple-A outings to adjust to Albuquerque’s altitude -- earned him his promotion. Blake Adams was a 13th-round Rockies pick out of Kansas State in 2022.
“I started getting a feel for my mix, and we added a sinker, which really helped open up my gyro slider and my sweeper,” said Blake Adams, who also has a downward-breaking curve and a four-seam fastball. “About two weeks before the All-Star break, it started really clicking.”