Kyle Freeland Faces Pivotal Crossroads With Rockies After Disappointing 2025

Can Rockies’ Kyle Freeland bounce back in 2026?

Sep 2, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (21) reacts back to the San Francisco Giants bench after being ejected in the first inning at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Colorado Rockies starter Kyle Freeland is coming off a rough 2025 season. Every pitcher goes through a patch in their career where things are not going right for them in a season. 

One of the things we admire about Freeland is his resilience. He hasn’t been a dominant pitcher in years, but last season he had moments when he showed he’s still capable of shutting down hitters and racking up strikeouts. 

Will Freeland Ever Get Back to Winning Double-Digit Seasons as a Starter?

D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The 32-year-old left-hander will be entering his 10th MLB season with the Rockies. It’s the only franchise he’s played for, which is rare to see in sports nowadays. Freeland hasn’t reached 10 wins since 2018, which came in his second season in the majors. 

During that 2018 season, he won 17 games for the Rockies and a career high 173 strikeouts in 33 appearances. Freeland had a career low 2.85 ERA. Rockies fans would love and hope to see this version of Freeland again. However, it may be a long shot. The closest he has come to reaching 10 wins came in 2022. 

We have to consider that he’s not getting any younger, and injuries have taken a toll on his production. Between 2019 and 2024, Freeland suffered many injuries, including back stiffness, finger issues, shoulder problems, groin and oblique injuries, and left elbow strain. 

It’s always tough and unfortunate to see good players miss so much time due to injuries. With pitchers, it makes it worse because they control the game, and when their innings are limited, it can cause frustration and, for some pitchers, deflate their confidence.

Freeland had perhaps the worst season of his career, with 17 losses, a career high, and gave up 193 hits with a 4.98 ERA. Regardless of his performance and past injuries, those experiences will make him turn the page and write a new script for the upcoming 2026 season.

It is not likely that he will finish with as few as five wins. He might end up with at least eight wins, but Freeland could prove all everyone wrong. He’s still got a lot left to prove and a lot to give. He can still impact the game if he doesn’t give up too many hits and runs. 

Hopefully, fans can see many impressive outings from him. The upside is that he will have unconditional support from the coaches, teammates, and front office. He’s one of the team's veterans, and this organization admires what Freeland brings to the table. 

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