Rockies reinstate Jimmy Herget, option Tanner Gordon to Albuquerque

Jimmy Herget’s return forced the Rockies to make a choice, and Tanner Gordon was the arm left waiting for the next opening. Colorado reinstated Herget from the bereavement/family emergency list and optioned Gordon to Triple-A Albuquerque, a move that lands with extra weight because the Rockies have been cycling pitchers between Denver and Albuquerque all month.

Herget had been away since May 9, but his value to this bullpen was already clear. Colorado signed him to a one-year, $1.55 million deal after a 2025 season in which he posted a 2.48 ERA in 59 games and covered 83 1/3 innings, third-most among MLB relievers. He also struck out 81 batters, finished eighth among National League relievers in strikeouts, and closed hard with a 1.27 ERA over his final 18 appearances. For a Rockies staff that has been under constant strain, getting that version of Herget back matters far more than a routine roster swap. The right-hander, nicknamed The Human Glitch by Rob Friedman of Pitching Ninja, gives Colorado a proven late-game arm again.

Gordon is the one heading back to the Isotopes, and his demotion says as much about the Rockies’ roster squeeze as it does about his season. The 28-year-old right-hander, listed at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds and born in Champaign, Illinois, made his major league debut on July 7, 2024. He was drafted by the Braves in the sixth round in 2019, 187th overall, out of Indiana. This is not unfamiliar territory for him either. Colorado optioned him to Albuquerque on Sept. 13, 2024, and again on March 11, 2025 during spring training.

The numbers from last season still explain why Gordon remains on the call-up ladder. In 2025, he made 15 starts and went 6-8 with a 6.33 ERA, but his six wins led all Rockies pitchers. His seven quality starts ranked second on the club and tied for the most among National League rookies. That profile tells you why Colorado keeps circling back to him: the stuff and the frame are big-league worthy, but the next step is turning a few more outings into the kind of efficient starts that keep a rotation spot from slipping away.

For Albuquerque, Gordon should slot back in as a starter with major league experience, which gives the Isotopes a more polished arm and gives Colorado another immediate option if the big-league rotation opens again. The Rockies’ transaction log has already shown a steady churn involving Seth Halvorsen, Sammy Peralta, Blas Castaño, Kyle Freeland and Jeff Criswell, and Gordon is now back in that queue. His route back to Denver is straightforward: sharpen the run prevention, stack quality starts, and make the next roster squeeze harder to ignore.