![\"PITTSBURGH,](\"https:\/\/platform.purplerow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/128\/2026\/05\/gettyimages-2275668510.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 14: Chase Dollander #32 of the Colorado Rockies talks with medical staff in the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on May 14, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n
Dollander was moved to the 15-day IL the next day with a right elbow strain. By June 12, it was clear Dollander\u2019s season was done, and he headed to the 60-day IL. On June 23, he had an internal brace procedure, which repairs the ligament and adds support to help avoid a full Tommy John reconstruction.<\/p>\n
For Cuffe, the process of helping Dollander didn\u2019t even include throwing a baseball.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, Chase hadn\u2019t thrown yet, so we\u2019re more so working in a planning manner, talking through what we want the arsenal to look like when he comes back,\u201d Cuffe said. \u201cWe also look at how we can leverage some maybe other modalities, like water balls and med balls, to help him with movement quality on the mound before he\u2019s able to throw baseballs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rehab routines can be monotonous and mundane. Every player would rather be suiting up for their team than recovering from an injury. So while players are at the ACL, Cuffe and the entire staff try to keep it positive by providing mental support. That atmosphere extends to the players, who also cheer each other on.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to be here with good energy and good vibes to help these guys,\u201d Cuffe said. \u201cLuckily, with the group of guys we\u2019ve had down here, they all support each other. They\u2019re all out there supporting each other. We all work together to make sure we\u2019re uplifting and celebrating the guys that are having these milestones back. That\u2019s a big thing because you learn to really celebrate the small things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before coming to the Rockies, Cuffe worked as a pitching strategist and then as the director of pitching development and recruiting for the University of Arizona. That\u2019s where he built up his chops as a pitching coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew I wanted to work with pitchers, wanted to work in some form of a role with a lab that was able to access biomechanic work,\u201d said Cuffe, who credits University of Arizona assistant coach Kevin Vance and director of pitching performance and strategy John DeRouin for showing him the ropes. \u201cWe went to Omaha with them to the College World Series, won the Big 12, and then I was promoted to director of pitching development.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he accepted the job with the Rockies, Cuffe didn\u2019t just want to simply help players return to their healthiest form.<\/p>\n
He wants to help them improve.<\/p>\n
Cuffe loves combining his medical knowledge with his pitching acumen. He even said so on social media when he joined the team.<\/p>\n
Cuffe deploys a large toolbox to help pitchers in the Rockies organization grow their skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cI help pitchers build sustainable skills to be major league pitchers. It\u2019s kind of all-encompassing now like being able to help out in arsenal development or helping them gain output,\u201d Cuffe said. \u201cSo whether it\u2019s average fastball velo or peak fastball velo, that\u2019s where utilizing the performance lab is big. Being able to get them to gain count control, get ahead in the count, pretty much all those things, is what it takes to be a major league pitcher nowadays.\u201d<\/p>\n
At U of A, Cuffe used the same performance lab technology, KinaTrex, that he\u2019s now running with the Rockies. He said it helped make the transition smooth.<\/p>\n
So did the Rockies staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to help leverage every technology we have, every department, whether it be strength and conditioning, the PT [physical therapy] room, athletic training room, being able to all collaborate, come together, especially at a place like the complex, helps players build the skills necessary to be major league pitchers,\u201d Cuffe said.<\/p>\n
Those conversations between the medical and coaching teams help all staff ensure they aren\u2019t pushing players too hard or moving too fast. Instead, they can target issues at a micro level to reduce any regression. Cuffe used the example of being able to understand a player\u2019s global movement capacities and how he expresses different movements to create a plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat helps me as a pitching coach understand what constraints I\u2019m trying to work around on the mound,\u201d said Cuffe. \u201cSay a guy can\u2019t get into a huge counter-rotation of his torso, then I probably can\u2019t ask him to be doing that on the mound. So, then I\u2019m not trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Being able to leverage the brains that we have in this building definitely helps me as a pitching coach get to solutions more effectively and more efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now that the offseason is here, Cuffe said it\u2019s education and planning time. He\u2019s exploring and researching delivery ideas, arsenal ideas, how to help pitchers better attack the strike zone and more. It\u2019s another example of a year-round collaboration to help players at every level in the organization succeed.<\/p>\n
After the grind of a 162-game season that left a tattered and worn-down rotation and bullpen \u2014 one that needs a boost from Colorado\u2019s prospects who can be ready to go in 2027 \u2014 Cuffe will certainly have his work cut out for him.<\/p>\n
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