It was a running joke in the Colorado Rockies clubhouse.
“He’ll be so glad you’re here,” one of the young pitchers said. “He’s been waiting for you.”
“He” referred to relief pitcher Ryan Rolison; “you” would be the Rockies’ beat writers.
On May 11, the Rockies’ 2018 first-round draft pick had finally been called up, though he did not make his MLB debut until May 13 against the Texas Rangers. He faced two batters, walking Joc Pederson before finally getting Josh Smith to line out to Ryan McMahon and end the inning.
Generally, a player making his MLB debut would find himself surrounded by media after his first outing, but none of the Denver press had traveled with the Rockies.
Instead, Rolison would have to wait as the Rockies made their way through the Texas and Arizona road trip before the team returned to Coors Field.
Finally, the moment had arrived. The press were assembled before the game… and Rolison had to leave to stretch.
Eventually, though, Rolison would get his media scrum in the Rockies dugout. (I’ve been told Carson Palmquist walked by during the interview and flexed at his teammate in a show of support.)
All joking aside, Rolison’s journey to The Show has been challenging, and he’s clear about what he learned through the process.
The injuries, they kept coming
Just to recap Rolison’s history, in 2021, he started in Double-A Hartford and was promoted to the Triple-A Isotopes before having his appendix removed on June 14. All signs pointed to his return in early August; however, he broke a bone in his left hand while fielding baseballs. He was activated before the end of the season but still missed substantial playing time.
In 2022, he started the season on the Injured List due to a shoulder issue before undergoing surgery in June and missing the entire season.
He started 2023 on the IL before being activated on May 22. He then returned to the IL with an unspecified injury on June 4. On July 14, he returned to the 60-day IL and again missed the season.
Rolison’s transition to the bullpen began in 2024 as he pitched for the Arizona Complex League, High-A Spokane, and the Isotopes. In 29 appearances (including five starts), he earned a 4.47 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 46 1⁄3 innings pitched.
The work finally paid off in 2025.
He started the season in Albuquerque where he had a 3.72 ERA with 23 strikeouts over his first 12 games. And then, on May 11, he was added to the Rockies’ 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues.
There would, however, be more delays.
Rolison did not enter the game that day, and following the Rockies’ defeat of the Padres, the team announced they had relieved manager Bud Black and bench coach Mike Redmond of their duties. Needless to say, with all the news, Rolison’s promotion faded into the background.
That said, Rolison has made the most of his time with the Rockies.
In 10.0 innings pitched, he’s earned a 4.50 ERA (3.75 xERA) and a 4.79 FIP. He’s thrown 90 strikes to 59 balls, striking out eight and walking six, so his control continues to be a work in progress.
Still, getting there took time and patience
Learning patience
Rolison is grateful to be where he is now.
“We work our whole lives to get to this point,” Rolison said.
“If you would have told me when I was an 18 year old, ‘This is how my path would be to get to the big leagues,’ I wouldn’t believe you. But I think it taught me a lot about myself, being taken away from the game for a couple years.”
He acknowledges the struggles of injury rehab.
“You can ask anybody that’s been through the rehab process. It just takes you to a dark place,” Rolison said.
“I hadn’t really missed time in my career up until my shoulder surgery and battled that, just not feeling good,” he said. “There’s always setbacks in a rehab and then getting to about 13, 14 months out and still nothing, it didn’t feel right. (I) had to go back in for another surgery — and just facing what I went through in the first surgery, just thinking about having to do it again, was tough for me.”
The stress wasn’t just physical.
“A lot of anxiety,” he said. “I got depressed, just wondering, ‘why me?’”
Rolison points to those around him for helping him navigate that time.
“I’ve got to give a lot of credit to the training staff here and my support system — my family, my fiancée — kept me positive through it all. And as cliché as it sounds, I trusted the process and kept working.”
Like Kyle Freeland and Chase Dollander, Rolison found that journaling helped.
“I think that’s the best way to express your emotions, just write them down and get them off your chest. And then also, obviously, watching the big league games, trying to put myself in situations. Just keep my mind going and put myself in those competitive spots and ask myself, ‘what would I throw in this spot?’ or stuff like that.”
He added, “You don’t realize how much you miss it until it’s taken away from you.”
Rolison set goals for himself in 2025: staying present, making his MLB debut, and establishing himself as a major-league player.
Moving to the bullpen
Prior to 2024, Rolison had not thrown out of the bullpen since his freshman year at Ole Miss.
He’s looked to veteran players to help him make the transition.
“Before my debut at the Rangers stadium, (Tyler Kinley) brought me over, and he said, ‘Look, you’re going to feel a lot of emotions out there. You’re probably not going to remember a whole lot, but I think the biggest thing just to take it all in for a second and breathe.’ And he said, the biggest thing you can control is your breath. So I went out there and took it in for a second and then focused on my breath.”
“Obviously there was some learning curves,” Rolison said.
“Last year was my first time in professional baseball being out of the bullpen, and it’s just a different routine. Obviously, as a starting pitcher, you know exactly what time you’re throwing your first pitch, and you have your routine, you have your checklist of everything you do. And now the bullpen is little bit different. You never know when your name’s going to be called, so just leaning on some of the older guys that have been in the bullpen for a long time.”
He added, “I feel like I’m in a good spot with it.”
And he’s continuing to grow.
“I think after outing, after outing, getting more confidence in my stuff and knowing that I can be successful at this level.”
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Rockies homework
Sure, school’s out for summer, but I’m going to give an assignment.
Last week, I stumbled onto “Spilly on the Rox,” Ryan Spilborgh’s podcast series for Mile High Sports.
When he’s on Rockies TV, Spilborghs is rooting for the Rockies; when he’s on “Loud Outs,” he’s providing commentary for a national audience; but with “Spilly on the Rox,” he’s nerding out about the Rockies for Rockies fans. It’s great!
So here’s the assignment:
It’s just under 12 minutes, but the section I found interesting is his discussion of why fans should be wary of selling the team as a quick fix.
Let us know what you think in the comments.
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What’s wrong with the 2025 Rockies? Deep diving into advanced statistics | Blake Street Banter
Ty Paddor looks at the numbers to pinpoint what’s going wrong. (Quite a lot, it turns out.)
Adam Ottavino’s take on pitching in Colorado | MLB Network
If Adam Ottavino is talking about pitching at elevation, I’m interested. Here’s what he told the MLB Network last week.
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