Earlier this season, the Colorado Rockies called up their top-ranked prospect, right-hander Chase Dollander, ahead of a home start vs the Athletics on April 6. In just over three months of action, it has been an up-and-down season for the ninth overall pick out of the University of Tennessee in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft. Following his start Sunday in which he struggled in 3 2/3 innings against the Chicago White Sox, Chase Dollander was sent down to Triple-A Albuquerque. The Rockies called up righty starter Bradley Blalock to fill his spot in the rotation.
Chase Dollander Sent Down to Triple-A
During his first stint in the majors, Dollander demonstrated the traits that made him a top 10 pick. But he has struggled mightily at Coors Field in the early going, as many pitchers do. Per Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com, Dollander’s 4.25 road ERA is the best in the rotation, but his 9.37 ERA is the worst. In two home starts to begin July against the White Sox and Houston Astros, Dollander went 6 1/3 innings with nine runs allowed, and struggled with his command, issuing six walks to just three strikeouts.
The Rockies announced today that they have optioned RHP Chase Dollander to Triple-A Albuquerque and have recalled RHP Bradley Blalock from Triple-A.
— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) July 7, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Dollander’s struggle with command has been his biggest issue when pitching at Coors Field. In eight home starts, Dollander has posted a K:BB ratio of 22:18 in 32 2/3 IP. Meanwhile, he has a K:BB ratio of 30:15 in seven road starts over 36 IP. Pitchers struggling at Coors is not a new issue. However, Dollander will need to improve his pitching at home if he wants to be a permanent member of the Rockies’ rotation. The similarly very pro-hitting environment of Albuquerque will be a great place for Dollander to work on exactly that.
Issues with Fastball
Dollander relies heavily on his four-seam fastball, using it a whopping 48% of the time, per Statcast. He uses it primarily for good reason, too; it has been his bread and butter pitch on his road to the majors. Dollander’s 97.5 mph fastball velocity is in the 92nd percentile league-wide. But he has struggled to use it effectively at the major league level. His fastball run value of -1 is in the bottom one percent of MLB, per Statcast. Rockies’ manager Warren Schaeffer cited the efficiency Dollander needs to work on during his media availability Monday, per Molly Burkhardt of MLB.com.
“He absolutely has things he needs to work on.” “He needs to work on his efficiency and getting deeper into games and throwing more strikes early in counts. And he knows all this, and it’s a good time for him to go down there and work on it.”
Walks will always haunt pitchers at Coors Field. Considering the heavy utilization of the fastball by Dollander, that pitch not being effective is a recipe for disaster at Coors. Dollander pitched into the sixth inning just twice in his eight home starts. He also failed to pitch at least four innings in five of his starts. These issues are workable and expected for a rookie pitcher who calls Coors home. The velocity is there. If Dollander can effectively develop the length and efficiency his manager is looking for while in Triple-A, he will be just fine. Schaeffer also mentioned in his media availability that Dollander has the right mentality to get back on track.
“Chase has a really good mentality,” Schaeffer said. “I just think it’s a matter of him executing it on a more consistent basis. I think it’s probably always a combination of physical and mental.”
Dollander Can Look to Teammate for Inspiration
Dollander’s 6.8 K/9 is second in the Rockies rotation, behind only fellow rotation member, RHP Ryan Feltner’s 7.4. That’s a welcome sight for a Rockies rotation that struggles to strike out batters consistently. Feltner, like Dollander, relies mainly on his four-seam fastball. Per Statcast, Feltner throws his four-seam fastball 37% of the time, followed by his changeup (18%) and slider (17%). While Feltner doesn’t reach the fastball velocity that Dollander does, he utilizes his pitch mix effectively behind his four-seam fastball.
Feltner was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB draft out of The Ohio State University. He debuted in 2021 and showed flashes of being a solid Rockies rotation member in his first couple of seasons. His development was cut short, however, in a scary moment on May 13, 2023, when Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos hit a 92.7 mph line drive that hit Feltner in the head. He suffered a skull fracture and was out until late September that season.
But Feltner rebounded from the scary moment in a big way. Posting a respectable 4.49 ERA in 30 starts across 162 1/3 IP in 2024. Feltner’s 7.7 K/9 and 138 strikeouts both led the Rockies rotation by a large margin. Per Statcast, Feltner’s fastball run value of seven was in the 82nd percentile league-wide. In a down season for the team, he emerged as one of the top options in the Rockies’ rotation. He opened this season with the same momentum, but suffered back spasms after six starts and hit the 15-day injured list on May 2 before later being transferred to the 60-day IL. Feltner was activated off the 60-day IL on July 4 and was immediately optioned to Triple-A.
The move is seen as a chance for Feltner to gain more reps in Triple-A until he looks sharp, rather than a demotion. While together in Triple-A, Feltner would be a great peer for Dollander to lean on. Feltner has seen the horrors of pitching at Coors Field up close. Both rely primarily on their fastballs and have the best strikeout stuff in the Rockies’ rotation. Perhaps most importantly, like Dollander, Feltner showed flashes but allowed an inning to get out of hand and ruin a start early in his career. When Feltner managed to establish consistent length and was more efficient with his pitches, success quickly followed.
Main Photo Credit: © Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The post Chase Dollander, Facing First Major Bump of MLB Career, Sent to Triple-A appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.