DENVER – The Colorado Rockies announced today that they have acquired Minor League infielder Roc Riggio and Minor League left-handed pitcher Ben Shields via trade with the New York Yankees in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jake Bird.
Riggio, 23, is slashing .264/.370/.567 with 14 doubles, one triple, 18 home runs, 45 RBI and nine stolen bases between the FCL Yankees (2G), High-A Hudson Valley (20G) and Double-A Somerset (40G) this season … the Yankees No. 10 prospect (MLB.com) was promoted to Somerset on June 3, his first appearance at the Double-A level, and hit five home runs through his first seven games … slashing .261/.335/.542 overall with an .877 OPS with the Patriots … the Thousand Oaks High School (Calif.) graduate was selected by the Yankees in the fourth round of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft following two seasons at Oklahoma State University … is slashing .232/.361/.434 with 43 doubles, six triples, 29 home runs, 101 RBI and 39 stolen bases in 190 games over three Minor League seasons.
Shields, 26, has pitched to a 1-2 record with a 3.03 ERA (35.2 IP, 12 ER) and 42 strikeouts in nine starts between four levels of the Yankees’ system in 2025 after beginning the season on the 60-day IL … the Yankees’ No. 28 prospect (MLB.com) is 1-2 with a 3.42 ERA (23.2 IP, 9 ER) and 26 strikeouts in five starts for Double-A Somerset … signed by New York as a non-drafted free agent in 2023, the Boston, Mass. native is 6-7 with a 3.37 ERA (141.2 IP, 53 ER) and 179 strikeouts in 35 career Minor League games 2024-25 (26 starts) … pitched three seasons at the University of Massachusetts (2018-21) and two at George Mason University (2022-23) prior to signing with the Yankees.
Bird, 29, has appeared in a team-leading 188 games for the Rockies since his debut in 2022 … his 209 career strikeouts as a reliever are the 15th-most in Rockies history … is 4-1 with a 4.73 ERA (53.1 IP, 28 ER) and 62 strikeouts in 45 appearances in 2025 … is tied for seventh in the Majors among relievers in innings pitched and is tied for 12th in strikeouts … selected by the Rockies in the fifth round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of UCLA.