Rockies Option Reliever Seth Halvorsen to Triple-A Albuquerque

Seth Halvorsen entered Cactus League play as one of the more intriguing pieces of the Colorado bullpen, a hard thrower averaging 100 mph on his fastball who led the Rockies with 11 saves in 2025. Five innings later, manager Warren Schaeffer had seen enough.

The Rockies optioned Halvorsen to Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, with Schaeffer citing both a recent injury and a command breakdown that produced one of the uglier spring lines in the organization. In 5.0 innings of Cactus League work, Halvorsen allowed 12 runs on eight hits while walking 12 batters against just four strikeouts, a 4:12 K:BB ratio that produced a 21.60 ERA.

"Coming off injury, high walk rate in spring," Schaeffer said, per Denver Gazette beat writer Kevin Henry. "He needs to go down there and get right because we know what kind of pitcher he can be for us in leverage situations."

The injury in question is a right elbow flexor strain that Halvorsen sustained in August, one he has not fully shaken entering his second full spring back. The command issues this spring tracked directly with that recovery, as a pitcher who converted 11 of 14 save opportunities in 2025 and touched 103.3 mph in July, the fastest by a Rockies pitcher in nearly a decade, suddenly could not throw strikes with any consistency.

Halvorsen was not the only roster decision Schaeffer relayed through Henry on Tuesday. Tyler Freeman will begin the season on the injured list with lower back inflammation, a development that had been expected given the nagging nature of the injury throughout camp. On the other side of the ledger, Troy Johnston earned a spot on the Opening Day roster after slashing .358/.426/.547 across 22 spring games. The Rockies claimed Johnston from the Miami Marlins on November 5th, and he figures to contribute as both a first baseman and outfielder.

Halvorsen's path back to Denver likely runs through consistent command work with Albuquerque. He posted a 4.99 ERA and 1.56 WHIP across 39.2 innings in 2025, numbers that reflect the volatility of pitching at altitude but also the ceiling of a reliever capable of sitting triple digits. The raw stuff has never been the concern; Schaeffer's phrasing, "we know what kind of pitcher he can be," signals the organization views this as a reset rather than a demotion with a long horizon.