There was little doubt that the Colorado Rockies would be eager to call up their top pitching prospect in 2025. It wasn’t a matter of “if” but “when” they would call him up for his Major League debut.

For the Rockies, and everyone for that matter, that moment is coming much sooner than expected, as manager Bud Black announced that right-hander Chase Dollander would be promoted to start on Sunday for the club in the series finale against the Athletics.

Dollander, 23, was the ninth overall pick by the Rockies out of the University of Tennessee in 2023. Entering that season he was one of the more hyped names in baseball. He was considered a prime candidate to go first overall but he struggled quite a bit year leading into the draft. Still, he put up big numbers for Tennessee in his career and was still ranked as one of the top players available in the 2023 draft. By a stroke of luck, he fell to the Rockies in the draft who signed him to a slot-value bonus of $5,716,900.

He made his professional debut in 2024 with High-A Spokane where he spent half the season at the front of the Indians’ rotation, helping secure a playoff berth in the first half, before finishing the year in Double-A Hartford. Between the two levels, Dollander made 23 starts, tossing 118 innings where he compiled a 6-2 record with a 2.59 ERA and 169 strikeouts against 47 walks. He allowed just 2.59 earned runs per nine, striking out 33.9% of batters faced while giving out walks at a 9.4% clip. The walks were a little high but his dominant arsenal on the mound more than made up for it.

That success in his first professional season helped his pedigree heading into the 2025 season. Pundits across the league considered him the best prospect for the Rockies and one of the best prospects in all of baseball. MLB Pipeline listed him at No. 24 on their Top 100 list while Baseball America listed him at No. 7 while a handful of others him in the Top 20. The general census is that he is one of, if not the best, pitching prospects in the history of the Rockies franchise.

This hype around Dollander carried into Spring Training as Dollander was given a chance to showcase his talent in front of the big league club. He made six starts with the big league club, posting a 7.13 ERA in 17 2/3 innings. Dollander displayed his power arm dominance with 24 strikeouts, but he also battled his command, issuing 10 walks. He was roughed up for 17 hits, including coughing up five home runs, but the Rockies were so impressed with his demeanor and tools that they were considering carrying him on the Opening Day roster. It was been the messaging from the team at the start of camp that Dollander would be given every opportunity to prove himself worthy of making the roster.

That path seemed unlikely as the Rockies had an established five-man rotation planned to start the season. As the start of the season drew closer it became clear the Rockies were going to start the season with a four-man rotation after left-hander Austin Gomber was set to start the year on the injured list with shoulder soreness. The team decided to carry right-hander Bradley Blalock and use him as the long reliever out of the bullpen.

Gomber started the season with Triple-A Albuquerque on a rehab assignment with the plan that he would make two starts and return to the Rockies by April 8. He made one rehab start on Opening Day for the Triple-A squad and was set to make his second start before he was scratched at the last minute due to lingering shoulder soreness. Black told reporters on Friday that he wouldn’t be throwing the ball this week and it may be a few weeks before Gomber starts pitching in games again.

So, needing a fifth starter, the Rockies are calling upon Dollander rather than sliding Blalock into the rotation, an option that was considered.

Dollander made one start in Triple-A on the road against Sacramento, tossing four innings, giving up one run on six hits and striking out five. A concern in Spring Training was his efficiency on the mound, and it was on display in his start as he threw 79 pitches. Still, the team feels it may be more beneficial for him to work on that efficiency facing big-league hitters.

“You can put up some zeros in the Minor Leagues through some inefficiencies, but here in the big leagues it catches up to you, because you’re facing really good players,” Black said. “But he’ll learn through experience.”

The Rockies can also afford the opportunity for Dollander because of the strength of the rotation to start the season. Entering Friday the club had the lowest rotation ERA in baseball. Giving the rookie a chance to grow and develop without the pressure of having to carry the rotation may be optimal. He also presents a different look for the rotation, sending in another power arm with some bite to his secondary pitches.

“He’s got a good, live arm,” Black said. “We saw him in Spring Training. I liked the stuff. It’s real stuff. It’s a good fastball with velocity. He can spin the ball and has a little bit of feel for a change. I’m looking forward to watching this unfold, watch his career. I like watching young players. I like trying to help young players.”

It’s a bold move for a Rockies team that has struggled out of the gate to start the season. With 100 losses looming on the horizon once again, it’s moves like this one that can help put the Rockies on a better trajectory for the future. The true test for Dollander will be to see how he does pitching at altitude. Since Albuquerque started the season on the road, Dollander was scheduled to pitch at home for the first time this weekend for the Isotopes. Instead, he will get his first taste of pitching at altitude on Sunday at Coors Field.

Dollander is expected to be an anchor for the rotation and the first piece in a new generation of homegrown starters for the Rockies. 2025 could be seen as a passing of the torch from the previous generation led by current rotation members Kyle Freeland, German Marquez, and Antonio Senzatela. If he stays the whole year on the roster now, he was called up early enough to potentially earn a full service year in 2025. A baseball season is 187 days long but a player needs only 172 days on the active roster or injured list to get a full year. If he’s not optioned down to the minors at any point, he would be on track to qualify for free agency after the 2030 campaign, though a more notable optional assignment would push that trajectory by one year.

Should he perform and win the National League Rookie of the Year, the Rockies would earn an extra draft pick thanks to the Collective Bargaining Agreement to incentivize teams to avoid service time manipulation. However, it would take a special year on the mound for Dollander to win the Rookie of the Year.

Still, it’s an exciting time in Colorado as fans get their first big-league look at a promising prospect.

The Rockies have an open slot on the 40-man roster but will need to make a corresponding move to clear space on the 26-man roster.