SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — T.J. Rumfield was a big-league first baseman trapped in Triple-A limbo. At least, that’s how he saw things. So did the Rockies.

Which is why they acquired the Yankees’ minor leaguer in exchange for talented but mercurial right-handed reliever Angel Chivilli in a trade in late January. Now it’s Rumfield’s job to bust open the door of opportunity.

“I’m super excited to get my shot,” the 25-year-old Rumfield said Thursday. “I think the Yankees did a good job developing me, but with the guys they had there, it was just super hard to get my shot at the big leagues with certain people there.

“So, it was a breath of fresh air, thinking I could come over here and impact this team at the major league level this year. It’s all I could ask for.”

The retooled, rebuilding Rockies have job openings posted throughout their lineup, but no position is more competitive than first base as the club opens Cactus League play against the Diamondbacks on Friday afternoon at Salt River Fields.

“It’s completely wide open,” manager Warren Schaeffer said.

That means that a strong showing this spring could be Rumfield’s golden ticket to the majors. The fact that he’s a left-handed hitter helps his cause.

There are four prime candidates at first: Julien Edouard (who also plays second), Blaine Crim, Troy Johnston (who also plays outfield), and Rumfield. But, as Schaeffer pointed out, first base could be a shared position, depending on how spring training goes.

“We are looking for the best fit to the puzzle going into opening day,” the manager said. “We value versatility.”

No. 2 prospect Charlie Condon could well be the first baseman of the future. But he’s in his first major league camp, and while there’s a chance he could debut later this season, he’s got a lot to prove to Schaeffer and the Rockies’ front office.

At 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, Rumfield makes for a big target at first base. Plus, he won a minor league Gold Glove playing for Double-A Somerset in 2023. He set a Patriots franchise record by posting a .997 fielding percentage over 78 games. He committed just two errors all season.

“I think it’s just about my ability to focus, pitch to pitch,” he said of his fielding prowess. “That, and knowing what to do with the baseball before it’s hit to me. Winning the Gold Glove reinforced the idea that doing the little things I do every day is not for nothing.”

Rumfield spent the entire 2025 season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, slashing .285/.378/.447 with 16 home runs, 31 doubles, a triple and five stolen bases. He had an impressive 11.9% walk rate vs. a 18.4% strikeout rate. In 2024, Rumfield slashed .292/.365/.461 with 15 homers in 114 Triple-A games.

“Last year, it was all about growth with my mindset,” he said. “This year, it’s all about applying that, and trying to do what I did in Triple-A at the plate, only at the next level.”

Blocked in the Bronx

Paul DePodesta, Colorado’s new president of baseball operations, is sky high on Rumfied’s potential.

“He’s a solid defender at first base to go along with his bat,” DePodesta said. “He’s been a very productive hitter at Triple-A at age 24 and 25. He’s got really good bat-to-ball skills, and he has some emerging power.

“He’s a guy that can manipulate the bat pretty well and, as a consequence, has hit for average, along with some of that juice. We think he’s a nice combination of skills.”

But Rumfield’s path to the Bronx was blocked by first base talent in the Yankees organization, namely icon Paul Goldschmidt and the emergence of power hitter Ben Rice. Last season, the Yankees signed Goldschmidt to a one-year, $12.5 million deal to be the No. 1 first baseman. But Rice’s emergence, especially at the plate, relegated Goldschmidt to a part-time role in the second half. This offseason, just a week before spring training began, the 38-year-old Goldschmidt returned for another season, this time for $4 million.

Rumfield was drafted in the 12th round out of Virginia Tech in 2021 by Philadelphia and was traded to New York before the 2022 season. He played well in the minors, hitting .284 in 52 games at High-A Hudson Valley. Then, he won the batting title in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .400.

Rumfield understands that this camp represents a big chance, but he also knows he can’t play to win the job. He just has to play.

“It’s all about the work,” he said. “It’s about showing that you can be a good teammate and that you can be reliable. Show up on time, every day, do the right things. I think the baseball part of it will figure itself out.”

Of course, it will be up to Schaeffer, DePodesta and the rest of the Rockies brass to figure out who makes the 26-man roster.  Performance and statistics in Cactus League games will only take a player so far.

“There are a lot of people here, on the staff, who will weigh in on things,” Schaeffer said. “There will be a lot of conversations. Is it better that a player performs well in Cactus League games? Absolutely. But there is more to it than that.

“It’s not like, ‘Hey, we’re going to take this guy because he hit .300 and another guy hit .280.’ There is way more to it than that.  Are you working on the things you should be working on? Are you showing progress in zone awareness? Has your chase (rate) gone down? Can we physically see that there have been adjustments that led to that? Is it going to be sustainable? We’ll be looking at a lot of things.”

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