Rockies complete infielder Aaron Schuck and left-handed relievers Lucas Gilbreth They have been removed from the 40-man roster, according to the MLB.com trade tracker. Both players have been beaten before in their careers and have exercised their free agency options.
There will be a ton of waiver movement after the World Series. The team needs to activate everyone on the injured list and reduce their roster to 40 players. The Rockies are ready to do just that Herman Marquez, Taylor Estrada, Kyle Farmer and Orlando Asia Hit free agency. they just need to recover Kris Bryant and Jeff Criswell from the injured list.
Colorado also tried a secret rescue Dugan Darnell Waiver cleared this afternoon, but the Buccaneers stepped in. Taking out Schunk and Gilbreath reduced their roster to 37 players. Once they finalize the general manager hire, there are sure to be more layoffs to come. Colorado has the top priority on waivers and they should use the waiver wire to stir up the bottom half of the roster next week.
Schenck and Gilbreth will each be looking for second teams in their careers. Colorado drafted Shank in the second round in 2019. The Georgia native has played briefly in Major League Baseball (MLB) over the past two seasons. He hit 41 times in 131 at-bats and batted .222/.246/.302 in 55 games. The right-hander had a .291/.348/.468 batting line in parts of three seasons in Triple-A Albuquerque.
While that’s a solid line on paper, it’s below average when you factor in an extremely hitter-friendly environment. Schunk, 28, is a defensively sound third baseman with a strong arm but has been inconsistent at the plate. He was a two-way player who hit a mid-90s fastball at Georgia but never pitched in the pros. Presumably, another team might be interested in whether he’d like to try out on the mound again.
Gilbreath, who turns 30 in March, was a seventh-round pick in 2017. He had several productive seasons as a reliever/starter during the 2021-22 season. He underwent Tommy John surgery in spring training in ’23, and has barely been a factor since returning from the surgery. Gilbreth made three MLB appearances late last year. He pitched just once in the majors last season, striking out two while allowing opponents Alexander Canario On August 22, he hit a home run in the final inning in Pittsburgh.
After that game, Colorado selected Gilbreth back to Albuquerque. In 42 2/3 innings of minor league play, he posted a 7.59 ERA with poor strikeouts and on-base numbers. Before surgery, Gilbreth’s fastball velocity was 93-94 mph and his slider was 81-82 mph, which is excellent secondary pitching. In 2024, the fastball velocity dropped to 92 mph, but it has rebounded significantly this year, with velocity between 89-90 mph. Breaking balls are also down nearly three points relative to pre-injury levels.
