Brandon

Wood

Wood had been struggling in August, but he’s still hitting .316/.380/.655 for the season. He has 36 homers and 45 doubles in 475 at-bats.

He’ll rejoin the club later this week.

At .276/.362/.532 with 72 strikeouts in 203 at-bats, Wood hasn’t been quite as good as hoped in the Texas League. Still, it’s hard to complain about an 894 OPS from a 21-year-old shortstop.

Not a big surprise. While capable with the glove, Cedeno is batting just .257/.306/.351 with two homers, 31 RBI and a .657 OPS over 423 plate appearances this season. They could pay the $200,000 buyout and attempt to bring him back at a lesser salary or just go with either Brandon Wood or Chase d’Arnaud at shortstop.

Wood finished a homer short of the cycle against the Royals on Saturday and has also impressed the Rockies with his versatility in the field, playing third and second base, shortstop and even some left field. “He’s making a statement,” Tracy said. “Back in December we brought him to Denver because there were things with his swing that needed attention. Where it was at, it wasn’t going to work... He’s worked extremely hard, and he’s taking very competitive at-bats right now.” If veteran Casey Blake fails to impress and Nolan Arenado begins the year in the minors, Wood could see some playing time at third base.

He can become a free agent. Wood did little after being claimed off waivers from the Angels in late-April, batting .220/.277/.347 with seven homers and 31 RBI over 257 plate appearances. The 26-year-old former top prospect now has a pathetic .513 OPS over 751 plate appearances in the major leagues.

Wood was outrighted off the Pirates’ 40-man roster at the end of the regular season after batting just .220/.277/.347 with seven home runs and 31 RBI in 257 plate appearances for Pittsburgh. The former top prospect is unlikely to suddenly flourish out in Colorado.

The former first round pick disappointed in the strong offensive environment of the PCL, hitting .259/.313/.409 with 10 homers and 64 RBI in 119 games for Triple-A Colorado Springs. He did show versatility, playing five different positions, and should be able to find another organization willing to give him a shot.

Wood, who turns 28 in March, batted .259/.313/.409 with 10 home runs and a .722 OPS in 119 games with the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate this season. The former top prospect is nothing more than minor league depth at this point.

The former top prospect was batting just .264/.304/.396 in 56 plate appearances this year for the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate in Omaha, Nebraska. Wood hasn’t appeared in a major league game since the 2011 campaign and seems unlikely to make it back with the Orioles.