Rockies Made Surprising Move To Option Ryan Feltner To Triple-A

Not bringing Ryan Feltner back to the big league rotation was a surprising move by the Colorado Rockies.

Apr 22, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner (18) pitches during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies have been waiting for starting pitcher Ryan Feltner to get healthy.

He was placed on the injured list on May 2 with back spasms, something that turned into a 60-day designation in the middle of June before he was sent on a rehab assignment.

With their rotation in need of starting options who can give them a chance of winning every fifth day, the expectation was Feltner would be inserted into that unit when he got healthy.

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Well, the Rockies activated him off the IL, but they didn't bring him back to The Show.

In an under-the-radar announcement made by Colorado, they revealed that Feltner was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque, a move that was surprising to Leo Morgenstern of MLB Trade Rumors.

"It is somewhat surprising news that Feltner has been optioned, considering he has made Colorado's Opening Day rotation in each of the past three years and has not pitched in the minors for any reason other than a rehab assignment since July 2022. In fact, he was the team's most effective starting pitcher just last season (4.49 ERA, 4.31 SIERA in 30 starts), and he looked much the same over his first six starts in 2025, pitching to a 4.75 ERA and 4.49 SIERA through the end of April," he wrote.

Perhaps this is more of a continued rehab assignment for the 28-year-old.

At least, that's what it seems like.

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If the Rockies felt he was healthy and ready to pitch in the big leagues, then it's likely he would have been brought back to their MLB roster considering he has the third-highest fWAR out of any starter on the team and he's only made six starts this campaign.

Still, this will be something to monitor.

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Colorado is looking to avoid Major League Baseball history by finishing with the most losses in a single season, so once they think he's ready to pitch at the highest level again, then he should be back.

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