Colorado Rockies Reliever Fernando Abad Designated For Assignment Following Win

The 37-year-old southpaw notched his first win in the major leagues since 2017 on Tuesday, but he was let go to make room for lefty Brent Suter.

The Colorado Rockies designated 37-year-old relief pitcher Fernando Abad for assignment on Wednesday, according to the club's transaction log. In a connected move, left-handed pitcher Brent Suter was activated from the 15-day injured list after missing a full month with an oblique strain.

Abad had a 4.26 ERA through 6.1 innings in 2023, not allowing a run in five of his six appearances. Abad's last outing was Tuesday against the Houston Astros, when he tossed 1.1 scoreless frames and earned his first MLB win since 2017.

Of the 32 batters Abad faced in the majors this season, however, he struck out two and walked three, ultimately posting a 2.211 WHIP.

This is not the first time the Rockies have designated Abad for assignment this year, either.

Abad first joined Colorado's major league roster on May 15, but was designated for assignment after giving up five hits and three earned runs against the Texas Rangers on May 20. The veteran was released, only to sign a minor league deal with the Rockies a few days later.

Colorado has bumped Abad off of their 40-man roster again following a 17-day stint back on the major league roster, giving the front office a week to either trade him or pass him through waivers.

Abad pitched for the Astros, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox between 2010 and 2017. Abad spent 2018 in the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets farm systems before joining the San Francisco Giants in 2019, and he went to the Baltimore Orioles in 2021 after failing to make the Nationals and New York Yankees' major league rosters in 2020.

Taking Abad's place is Suter, who boasted a 4-1 record, 2.81 ERA and 1.176 WHIP this season before going down with his oblique injury.

Suter spent the past seven seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, initially coming up as a starter before settling in as one of the National League's more steady bullpen options. Across 157 relief appearances with the Brewers, Suter put up a 26-7 record with a 2.89 ERA and 1.183 WHIP.

The Rockies, who are currently in last place in the NL West at 37-58, own the fourth-worst bullpen ERA in the majors at 4.72 and the fourth-worst bullpen WHIP at 1.470. Their next game is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at 3:10 p.m. ET versus the Astros.

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