The Rockies are selecting the contract of Mark Manfredi, and the 26-year-old lefty is set to make his MLB debut out of the bullpen. It's not a franchise-altering transaction, but for a last-place club trying to squint at anything resembling a bright spot down the stretch, it's the kind of arm you want a look at now instead of next spring.
Manfredi's path to Colorado runs through Milwaukee. He was a ninth-round pick by the Brewers back in 2023, and he landed with the Rockies as the return in the deadline deal that sent Antonio Senzatela north to Milwaukee. Colorado had three open spots on the 40-man roster, so slotting him in didn't even require a corresponding move beyond adding him to the active roster.
The numbers explain both why he's here and why it comes with some risk. Across 50 2/3 innings at Triple-A this year, Manfredi posted a 4.09 ERA with a strikeout rate that jumps off the page at 34.1%. The flip side is a walk rate of 12.7%, having issued 28 free passes among the 220 batters he's faced. Swing-and-miss stuff with shaky command is basically the scouting report in one sentence.
What makes him interesting is the fastball. It reportedly sits in the 93-97 mph range and he leans on it nearly 60% of the time, backed by two breaking balls and a changeup. Since being drafted, he's moved off the rotation track and settled in strictly as a reliever since the start of 2025 — a profile the Rockies clearly think can play in high-leverage innings if the strikes come.
The opportunity is real. Colorado's relief corps is thin on experience — only 3 pitchers in the bullpen carry more than two years of service time — which means a hard-throwing lefty with a wipeout strikeout rate doesn't have to wait long for chances. If the walks stay under control, Manfredi could carve out a real role for a team that has little to lose by finding out.