The Colorado Rockies have officially announced their 26-man 2025 Opening Day roster before their season opener against Tampa Bay on Friday at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

Here is everything you need to know.

Right Handed Pitchers

• Jake Bird
• Bradley Blalock
• Angel Chivilli
• Ryan Feltner
• Seth Halvorsen
• Jimmy Herget
• Tyler Kinley
• Germán Márquez
• Antonio Senzatela
• Victor Vodnik

Left-Handed Pitchers

• Scott Alexander
• Kyle Freeland
• Luis Peralta

Infielders

• Kyle Farmer
• Ryan McMahon
• Michael Toglia
• Ezequiel Tovar

Outfielders

• Jordan Beck
• Sean Bouchard
• Brenton Doyle
• Nick Martini
• Mickey Moniak

Catchers

• Hunter Goodman
• Jacob Stallings

Utility

• Kris Bryant
• Tyler Freeman

The Rockies finalized their roster by signing outfielder Mickey Moniak and designating Sam Hilliard for assignment. Additionally the team has placed second baseman Thairo Estrada (wrist) on the 10-day injured list and pitchers Jeff Criswell (Tommy John surgery) and Austin Gomber (shoulder soreness) on the 15-day IL.

Notably, seven Rockies had made the Opening Day roster for the first time: pitchers Bradley Blalock, Angel Chivilli, Seth Halvorsen and Luis Peralta; catcher Hunter Goodman; and outfielders Jordan Beck and Sean Bouchard. Of those seven players, five made their Major League debut in 2024, four of them with the Rockies.

The Rockies will open Friday, March 28, against Tampa Bay with Denver native Kyle Freeland poised to make his fourth Opening Day start, a new franchise record. Following their three-game set against Tampa Bay they will travel to Philadelphia for a three-game set over four days beginning on March 31. The Rockies are slated to play their home opener at Coors Field against the Athletics on Friday, April 4.

Rotation

Due to the off-day on April 1, the Rockies enter the season with a four-man rotation. Gomber suffered shoulder soreness in Spring Training and will make a couple of starts with Triple-A Albuquerque before potentially returning to the club on April 8. As a result, the Rockies are carrying Blalock on the roster as the long reliever out of the bullpen but should the Rockies need someone to make a start or two in Gomber’s absence, they will turn to him.

The rotation lines up as follows:

1. Kyle Freeland
2. Antonio Senzatela
3. Ryan Feltner
4. Germán Márquez

Each member of the rotation has dealt with significant injuries over the last few seasons but all managed to get through Spring Training without anything major. Márquez did deal with shoulder soreness early in camp as he looks to make a full return after missing 2023 due to Tommy John surgery and a right elbow strain upon his one start return in 2024. Feltner lines up to make the start for the home opener.

Closer

The Rockies haven’t designated a closer quite yet but the team appears to be leaning towards Victor Vodnik getting the bulk of opportunites at the start of the season. The young right hander took over the role partway into the summer months last season, converting nine saves. However, the team also has veteran Tyler Kinley available with experience and they also like the stuff of Seth Halvorsen who displayed closer potential. Look for all three to be in the mix for saves as needed.

Starting Lineup

The lineup underwent a major shakeup over the last few days but the Rockies Opening Day lineup projects as such:

1. Brenton Doyle (CF)
2. Ezequiel Tovar (SS)
3. Ryan McMahon (3B)
4. Kris Bryant (DH)
5. Michael Toglia (1B)
6. Kyle Farmer (2B)
7. Nick Martini (RF)
8. Jordan Beck (LF)
9. Jacob Stallings (C)

Following the injury of Estrada the Rockies will have to turn to Farmer at second base more often than not. However, they still desire to use his versatility on the infield, so look for Tyler Freeman to get plenty of action at second as well as needs arise on the infield. Brenton Doyle will serve as the new leadoff hitter following Charlie Blackmon’s retired in 2024. His blend of speed and power makes him a deadly weapon at the top of the order should he be able to continue to improve his on-base skills. That will set the table nicely for Ezequiel Tovar who should slot into the second spot to get the extra at-bats. The Rockies had toyed with the idea of batting Tovar third in Spring Training, but manager Bud Black likes the potential of Tovar getting more opportunities.

A lot hinges on Kris Bryant getting back to some sort of resemblance of his past production. Injuries have plagued his first three seasons in Colorado and the offensive output as been nowhere near what they hoped it would be. In an effort to keep him healthy, Bryant will be the designated hitter as often as possible. There were early intentions to play him in the outfield but those plays are moot as the team has stocked up on plenty of outfielders. Should he ever play in the field, it would be at first base to give Michael Toglia the rare day off.

Bench

• Hunter Goodman (C)
• Tyler Freeman (IF/OF)
• Mickey Moniak (OF)
• Sean Bouchard (OF/1B)

The Rockies wanted to make a concerted effort to improve their bench with players capable of being productive. It’s unclear how often some of these players will be used, but the Rockies hope to use them as ways to rest players, or at least get them off their feet. There is a significant wear and tear playing in Colorado so the Rockies want to mitigate that as much as they can. McMahon, Tovar, Toglia, and Doyle have proven durable and capable of playing 162 games in a season, but look for the Rockies to limit the load to perhaps 150 games at most for most of these players, allowing them to cycle into the DH spot or get a full day off. Farmer fits into this category as well, especially once Estrada is able to return in a couple of months.

How to watch/listen

2024 saw the Rockies debut their direct-to-consumer streaming option Rockies.TV in partnership with MLB. Almost every game will be available to stream, excluding National exclusives, without blackouts in the Rockies TV market. Drew Goodman returns as the primary announcer and he will be joined by returning analysts and former players, Cory Sullivan, Ryan Spilborghs, and Jeff Huson. Kelsey Wingert and Marc Stout also return as sideline reporters and pre-game/post-game hosts. Stout will also provide backup play-by-play in the absence of Goodman.

On the radio side of things Jack Corrigan and Jerry Schemmel will handle things on 850 KOA.

Conclusion

Expectations are understandably low for the Rockies entering the 2025 season as they hope to avoid another 100-loss season. They are banking on a healthy rotation that returns to form and are looking for their offense to improve their on-base skills and cut down on strikeouts. The youth movement is in transition, but there is a lot of work left to do before the team opens that window of contention. Prospects like Chase Dollander and Zac Veen are knocking on the door and they will surely make their debuts this season at some point if all goes according to plan.

Be sure to follow Rocky Mountain Rooftop (@RockyMtnRooftop) on social media (X and BlueSky) to stay up to date on Rockies news and analysis. New podcast episodes drop weekly on Mondays on your favorite podcasting platforms with video versions available on YouTube.

You can also follow me on X (@skylertimmins) and BlueSky (stimmins13.bsky.social) as well as Evan Lang on BlueSky (@evanlang27.bsky.social).