Colorado Rockies Place Veteran Kyle Freeland on Injured List With Back Stiffness

Just as left-handed pitcher Kyle Freeland was starting to round into form, the Colorado Rockies lost the veteran for at least two weeks due to a lower back injury.

Miami, Florida, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (21) celebrates with teammates after exiting the game against the Miami Marlins in the seventh inning at loanDepot Park. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies have placed left-handed pitcher Kyle Freeland on the 15-day injured list with low back stiffness, retroactive to June 12, the club announced Sunday.

Freeland last took the mound Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants, allowing six hits, two walks and three earned runs across 6.0 innings of work. He cleared 90 pitches for the third consecutive outing, all while notching his third straight quality start.

The 32-year-old southpaw is 1-8 with a 5.13 ERA, 1.520 WHIP and -0.1 WAR on the whole this season. Over his last six starts, though, Freeland owns a 3.67 ERA.

In a slew of other roster moves, Colorado also reinstated left-handed pitcher Austin Gomber from the 60-day injured list and recalled left-handed pitcher Carson Palmquist from Triple-A Albuquerque. Meanwhile, right-handed pitcher Ryan Feltner was transferred to the 60-day injured list and right-handed pitcher Zach Agnos was optioned to Triple-A.

Gomber and Palmquist will start the Rockies' next two games, keeping the rotation afloat in Freeland's absence.

Additionally, the Rockies announced today that they have placed LHP Kyle Freeland on the 15-day IL (retroactive to June 12) with low back stiffness and have recalled LHP Carson Palmquist from Triple-A Albuquerque.

Palmquist will start tomorrow night’s game in Washington.

— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) June 15, 2025

Freeland has been a staple on Colorado's pitching staff ever since he finished seventh in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2017 and placed fourth in the 2018 NL Cy Young race. He ranks second only to Ubaldo Jiménez in career WAR among Rockies pitchers, on top of ranking third in strikeouts, fifth in ERA and fifth in wins.

No Rockies pitcher has more career starts than Freeland, while only Aaron Cook has pitched more innings for the organization.

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