Tyler Danish has signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies and has been assigned to Triple-A Albuquerque, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Danish, a 29-year-old right-hander, will start for the Isotopes on Thursday, as reported by MLB.com’s Thomas Harding.
Danish had just signed with the Mexican League’s Olmecas de Tabasco last week and made one start, pitching six innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts and two walks. Colorado was apparently impressed with Danish’s performance, signing him after that lone start.
Danish has spent most of his career as a bullpen pitcher since 2017, when he was in Triple-A with the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox initially drafted Danish in the second round of the 2013 draft. He made brief appearances with the White Sox from 2016-18 but did not get his first extended MLB opportunity until 2022.
After signing a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox, Danish pitched 40 1/3 innings over 32 relief outings in Boston. He had a 5.13 ERA with a below-average 18.5% strikeout rate, but he showed good control and kept the ball on the ground at a solid 47.2% rate.
Danish has not pitched in the majors since the Red Sox released him at the end of the 2022 season. He signed successive minor league deals with the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals last year.
Danish spent two months with Washington’s Triple-A affiliate, where he posted a 3.72 ERA in 29 innings as a reliever. However, his solid run prevention was not supported by strong strikeout or walk numbers, and Washington opted not to call him up when he triggered an opt-out in his contract last July.
He remained on the open market until his brief appearance in the Mexican League gave him a platform for his next minor league opportunity.
The Rockies’ starting rotation has been struggling, with the team having the worst ERA (6.29) of any starting staff in the league. Opening Day starter Kyle Freeland recently suffered an elbow strain that will sideline him for over a month. This has forced Peter Lambert to move from long relief to the rotation, joining Austin Gomber, Cal Quantrill, Ryan Feltner, and offseason acquisition Dakota Hudson.
Righty Noah Davis was expected to be the next pitcher in line, but he recently suffered a shoulder strain and has been placed on the minor league injured list.
