Colorado Rockies' Pitchers Herget, Freeland Set to Make Their Returns

The Rockies will look to continue their nice start with a boost to their pitching staff.

Apr 7, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (21) delivers a pitch in the third inning against the Houston Astros at Coors Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies have been a pleasant surprise throughout the beginning of the 2026 season. While they still sit at the bottom of the NL West, they are already much more competitive under the new leadership.

The biggest improvement so far this season has been the pitching staff. In 2025, Colorado had the worst pitching staff in baseball. With just 1.1 fWAR and a 5.99 team ERA, they were dead last in both categories. They've already surpassed that fWAR total in April, sitting at 2.3 as of April 27.

On Monday, the club announced a flurry of roster moves that will improve the pitching staff. Although the roster sits at 25 after the announced moves, MLB.com's Thomas Harding reported that Kyle Freeland should be reinstated to fill that 26th slot.

Colorado's Staff is Back to Full Power

Colorado Rockies pitcher Jimmy Herget. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The official moves, announced by the team, include both Sammy Peralta and Seth Halvorsen being optioned to Triple-A, Luis Peralta being claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals and Jimmy Herget being reinstated from the paternity/restricted list.

Halvorsen, who collected 11 saves last season, pitched well in his two innings of work. The right-hander didn't allow a hit while walking two and striking out two. He had been pitching well in Triple-A, posting a 1.80 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 10 innings. Though it was brief, it likely won't be his last stint in the major league bullpen this year.

Sammy Peralta, a 27-year-old left-hander, didn't see any game action with the Rockies.

As for Luis Peralta, he was claimed by St. Louis after being designated for assignment by Colorado on April 21. After posting a 9.47 ERA in 19 innings with the big league team last season, he had a 17.18 ERA in 7.1 innings of work with Triple-A this season. He showed flashes of brilliance in 2024, so a change of scenery might benefit him.

As for the final official move, Jimmy Herget re-joins the team after missing four days on the paternity/restricted list. The right-hander has been the Rockies' best reliever since the start of 2025. In 11 games with three starts to begin the season, Herget had posted a 1.50 ERA and a 0.833 WHIP, collected 0.9 bWAR, the fourth most on the staff.

The right-hander will be a welcome addition back on the roster.

Finally, Kyle Freeland is expected to be activated from the IL and start on Tuesday for Colorado, though it hasn't been made official yet.

Before going down with shoulder inflammation, the left-hander was off to a great start. In 15.2 innings, Freeland had posted a 2.30 ERA and struck out 13. The longtime Colorado starter had been looking for a bounce-back after some struggles over the last few seasons.

Along with Tomoyuki Sugano, who has been excellent since arriving in Colorado, Freeland's return will boost the top of Colorado's rotation.