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Colorado Rockies Reunite With Sam Hilliard, Claim Outfielder Off Waivers From Baltimore Orioles

Sam Hilliard, who called the Colorado home from 2019 to 2022, is set to return to the Rockies after one season coming off the Atlanta Braves' bench.
Sam Connon|
Colorado Rockies Reunite With Sam Hilliard, Claim Outfielder Off Waivers From Baltimore Orioles
Colorado Rockies Reunite With Sam Hilliard, Claim Outfielder Off Waivers From Baltimore Orioles

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Colorado RockiesBaltimore OriolesAtlanta Braves

The Colorado Rockies have claimed outfielder Sam Hilliard off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles, the team announced Wednesday afternoon.

In a corresponding move, Colorado placed right-handed pitcher Antonio Senzatela on the 60-day injured list as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery. The Orioles, on the other hand, are not making any additional moves.

Baltimore initially claimed Hilliard off waivers from the Atlanta Braves in November. A few weeks later, the two sides avoided arbitration by agreeing to an $800K salary for 2024.

Now, a week after his 30th birthday, Hilliard is headed back to where it all started.

The Rockies drafted Hilliard back in 2015, and they retained him for over seven years.

Hilliard made his MLB debut in 2019 and began to carve out a more consistent role as Colorado's fourth outfielder in the ensuing seasons. He appeared in 214 games for the Rockies in a four-year span, batting .212 with 29 home runs, 71 RBI, 15 stolen bases, a .717 OPS and a 1.8 WAR.

Colorado traded Hilliard to Atlanta in November 2022, and he appeared in 40 games for the Braves in 2023. In that limited time, Hilliard hit .236 with three home runs, six RBI, four stolen bases, a .725 OPS and a 0.2 WAR.

Hilliard appeared in two Grapefruit League games for the Orioles at Spring Training this past weekend, going 0-for-3 with two walks and two strikeouts. He will now make the flight out to Arizona, where he will join the Rockies for Cactus League action and compete for an Opening Day roster spot.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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