MILWAUKEE -- Ryan Feltner continues to close in on a return to the big leagues.
The 28-year-old right-hander made his third rehab start Friday night with Triple-A Albuquerque. His final line -- 3 2/3 innings (66 pitches), six runs (five earned), seven hits, four walks, three strikeouts -- doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence, but the Rockies feel he’s still on the right track.
One reason why was his fastball velocity. He threw 31 four-seamers Friday, peaking at 95.4 mph and averaging 93.1 mph with the pitch. He also threw two sinkers, hitting 93.3 mph on the first and 94.4 mph on the second (93.9 mph average). For both pitches, his velocities Friday were on par with what he averaged before he hit the shelf.
Feltner coming out of his start feeling healthy is of course a very important part of the evaluation process, but seeing his velocity tick up was a positive sign, too.
“I just got off the phone with Chris Michalak, the Triple-A pitching coach there [in Triple-A],” Colorado pitching coach Darryl Scott said before Saturday afternoon’s 5-0 loss to Milwaukee at American Family Field. “He said [Feltner] looked good, like he's healthy. Velo’s ticking back up, so now it's just a matter of getting him the innings and getting him built back up.”
“I heard that he felt good,” manager Warren Schaeffer said. “His arm felt good. Everything felt good. Just the results weren't there [Friday].”
When Feltner went down with back spasms on May 2 (retroactive to April 29), the Rockies initially hoped it wouldn’t be too long of a stint on the injured list. That ended up not being the case, however, as the recovery process got to the point that Colorado transferred him to the 60-day IL on June 15, the day before he began his rehab assignment.
“When you start dealing with backs, you're just not quite sure how they're going to react,” Scott said. “What we thought was just going to be a quick break initially just didn't heal as quickly as what we thought. We have to do what's right for him and make sure that he's healthy. I think we've done a good job of making sure that he's back and healthy and that he can go out there and compete at full strength.”
Saturday was the first day Feltner was eligible to be activated, though both Schaeffer and Scott said he’ll need at least one more rehab start. That means, when he is ready to return, he’ll have missed more than two months of the season.
That’s a tough break for Feltner, especially when you consider his second half of 2024.
Through his first 15 starts of last year, he owned a 6.02 ERA, and opposing batters hit .296 off of him. But over his final 15 starts beginning June 26, he posted a 2.98 ERA and limited opponents to a .227 average. In September alone (five starts), he had a 1.78 ERA while opponents hit just .171.
Feltner posted a 4.75 ERA with a .270 average against in his first six starts this season, before he went down with the injury. But once he’s ready to rejoin the big league club, the Rockies are confident he can find that form he showed in the second half of 2024.
“You never want to lose one of your top guys. Especially the way he finished last year, the expectations were high coming in,” Scott said. “It's part of the deal of baseball that we have to deal with. Let's get him back [healthy] and get on that same type of run to finish this season.”
It will also be worth monitoring how Colorado manages its starting options when Feltner does come back.
Currently, the rotation consists of Kyle Freeland (who returned from the IL on Friday), Antonio Senzatela (who allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings and took the loss Saturday), Germán Márquez, Chase Dollander and Austin Gomber.
Feltner would then be option No. 6, provided the other arms stay healthy. Would the Rockies use a six-man rotation? Which route would they go with their rotation at that point?
“We haven't really determined exactly how that's going to play out,” Scott said. “It'll all play itself out.”