Chase

Dollander

Dollander was limited to 59 pitches tonight after returning from the IL without making a rehab start. He walked three, and just 28 of the 59 pitches went for strikes. Dollander will face the Giants next time out.

Dollander will make his return to the Colorado rotation tonight against the Marlins. He was 2-5 with a 6.28 ERA in eight starts before going on the IL two weeks ago with forearm tightness.

Well, that was quick. Dollander faced hitters last week in a live batting practice session and the Rockies are going to bring him back without a minor league rehab assignment. The 23-year-old top pitching prospect hit the injured list back in mid-May with forearm tightness. He’d obviously be of much greater intrigue for fantasy purposes if he wasn’t pitching for Colorado. He’s struggled to a lackluster 6.28 ERA and 38/18 K/BB ratio across 38 2/3 innings (eight starts) this season in his first taste of the majors.

Dollander has been on the shelf since mid-May due to right forearm tightness. Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer told reporters Friday that the 23-year-old top prospect “looked good” during the session, which took place on Tuesday at Wrigley Field. He remains without a definitive return timetable, but fantasy managers should anticipate Dollander being ready to return to Colorado’s rotation by the end of June, if not sooner.

Dollander will obviously miss at least two weeks while he recovers from the tightness he must have picked up during his outing Sunday, but there’s no timeline available, and forearm issues often lead to longer stints on the injured list. Juan Mejia has been recalled from Triple-A to take his roster spot. Colorado should provide a timeline and severity of the talented 23-year-old’s injury shortly.

The rookie right-hander scattered three hits on the day while issuing a pair of walks. The only damage done against him came on a solo home run off the bat of Ketel Marte in the bottom of the first inning. Dollander settled in nicely afterwards and kept the Diamondbacks’ offense off the board the rest of the way, but his offense couldn’t provide him with a single run of support. The 23-year-old hurler for 14 whiffs on 98 pitches on the afternoon — seven each on his fastball and curveball — posting a CSW of 29 percent. He’ll look to further improve upon his troublesome 6.28 ERA and 1.42 WHIP when he takes on the Yankees at home on Friday night.

The one hit, unfortunately, was a two-run homer from Wyatt Langford in the sixth. Still, it’s his best outing to date. It’s the first time he’s completed six innings, and he matched his high strikeout total (seven) so far. He fell to 2-4 with a 6.88 ERA anyway, but that comes with pitching for the Rockies. He’ll get the Diamondbacks next.

Dollander was fortunate to get the no-decision, as he allowed five hits, three walks, and didn’t strike out a single hitter. Fortunately, the Colorado offense — bad though it may be — was able to give him some support. Dollander has not looked ready for primetime thus far, and his ERA has ballooned to 7.71 over six starts. He’ll try and get things going against the Rangers next week.

It’ll be made up on Thursday as a doubleheader. It’s a tough break for fantasy managers as it eliminates one of the most exciting pitching matchups from Tuesday’s slate featuring former top pitching prospects Jackson Jobe and Chase Dollander. They’ll presumably take the ball for Wednesday’s single contest, but it’s entirely possible they’ll be pushed back to Thursday’s twin bill.

Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters Dollander left the contest with two outs in the sixth inning after a fingernail on his right hand split and was bleeding. The 23-year-old top prospect departed after limiting Atlanta’s formidable lineup to just one run on two hits at Coors Field. He struck out four and also issued three walks. It doesn’t appear to be a serious issue, but it certainly puts him in jeopardy of missing his next start on Tuesday against the Tigers. There should be an update on his status in the coming days.