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Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back) started his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday and went 0-for-3 with an RBI and a strikeout for the Isotopes while playing five innings in left field. It was the 26-year-old's first game since going on the 10-day injured list in late April with a lower-back strain. If Jones doesn't suffer any setbacks in the minors, he should be ready to return to the big-league roster pretty soon, possibly as early as this weekend against the Giants in San Francisco. The former second-round pick of the Cleveland Guardians in 2016 hit nearly .300 in 2023 with 20 homers and 20 stolen bases, so his power/speed combination makes him intriguing in all fantasy formats, especially playing half his games at hitter-friendly Coors Field. His fantasy managers will be hoping he can turn around his slow start in 2024 when he's activated, as he's currently slashing .170/.243/.277 with a homer and seven RBI in 26 games.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Jordan Beck belted his first major-league home run in Wednesday's blowout win over the division-rival San Diego Padres, totaling five RBI during a three-hit afternoon. Filling in for the injured Nolan Jones (back) at the moment, Beck hit a two-run double off Padres right-hander Michael King in the second inning before homering in the sixth for two more RBI to get the rout fully underway. The 23-year-old top prospect is still hitting just .235 (12-for-51) with the aforementioned long ball, two doubles, six RBI, and one stolen base across 15 games since his promotion on April 30, so he'll likely need to find more success at the plate in order to avoid being optioned back to the minor leagues when Jones or Kris Bryant (back) rejoin Colorado's outfield in the near future.
Colorado Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland (elbow) joined the team on their West Coast trip and continues to up the intensity of his pre-game throwing sessions in the outfield, according to manager Bud Black. Freeland is "a week or 10 days away from getting back on the mound," according to Black. The veteran southpaw will also need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment before he's cleared to rejoin the starting rotation. The Rockies are bringing Freeland back slowly from his strained left elbow, and he's not particularly close to coming off the 15-day injured list. Even if Freeland doesn't have a setback, fantasy managers in NL-only leagues that are holding onto him shouldn't expect him back until June. In four starts before his elbow injury, Freeland was 0-3 with an elevated 13.21 ERA and 2.55 WHIP with nine strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings pitched.
Colorado Rockies first baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant (back) started his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday and went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored while playing five innings of defense at first base. Manager Bud Black said the plan is for Bryant to join the Rockies in San Francisco against the Giants on Friday. Tuesday was the first time that the 32-year-old former MVP has played in a game since going on the shelf with a lower-back strain a month ago. The Rockies will mostly likely ease Bryant back into action if he indeed joins the big-league club this weekend in San Francisco. Bryant hasn't been able to stay healthy since joining the Rockies and was hitting just .149/.273/.255 in 13 games this year before he landed on the injured list.
Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Diaz (hand) will rest in the series finale on Wednesday in San Diego against the Padres after leaving Tuesday's contest in the third inning with left-hand soreness. Diaz had similar issues flare up before, according to manager Bud Black, indicating a longer absence isn't expected. And with a scheduled off day coming on Thursday, Diaz could be back in the lineup for the series opener on Friday in San Francisco against the Giants. In his lone plate appearance on Tuesday, the 33-year-old backstop struck out. With Diaz resting on Wednesday, Jacob Stallings will likely get the start behind the dish against Padres right-hander Michael King. Diaz has been one of the best hitting catchers in baseball so far in 2024, as he's slashing .299/.342/.423 with three home runs and 21 RBI in 137 at-bats.