Rockies’ Antonio Senzatela headed to bullpen, German Marquez returning to rotation

The Rockies’ reeling rotation is in motion as the season winds down.

Veteran right-hander Antonio Senzatela, who’s been hit hard, was moved to the bullpen on Tuesday. Fellow right-hander German Marquez, on the injured list since July 21 with biceps tendinitis, is scheduled to return and start against the Cubs on Friday night at Coors Field.

Senzatela’s demotion is not a surprise. The 30-year-old is 4-15 with a 7.15 ERA in 24 games (starts), and batters are hitting .356 against him. Last week, the Rockies released struggling veteran left-hander Austin Gomber. The Rockies cleared space by cutting Gomber and demoting Senzatela, because they want to see what rookie right-handers McCade Brown and Tanner Gordon can do during the final month of the season.

“Needless to say, ‘Senza’ has not had the season he wanted to have on a consistent basis,” general manager Bill Schmidt said Wednesday. “The move to the bullpen needed to be made. I’m not going to use the term “reinvent himself,’ but he’s got to make some adjustments going forward.

“The bottom line is that he was not helping the club. He was hurting the club, especially early in the game. Same thing with ‘Gomby.” They were putting the team in a hole early, and they were putting our young relievers in a hole, too.”

Pitching coach Darryl Scott said that Senzatela handled his demotion well.

“The reaction was just what you would think from Antonio Senzatela,” Scott said Wednesday before the Rockies played the Astros in Houston. “He’s a class act, and he understands that this is the move that needed to be made from a team standpoint and a development standpoint. Antonio said he will do whatever needs to be done for the team.”

Scott said that the plan is to use Senzatela out of the bullpen for the rest of the season. During next year’s spring training, the right-hander will be given an opportunity to compete for a spot in the rotation. Senzatela has one year remaining on his contract and is set to earn $12 million in 2026. The club holds an option for the 2027 season when he’s scheduled to make $14 million.

Senzatela’s fastball velocity has been fine (94-95 mph on average), but he’s lacked command on his breaking pitches, especially since undergoing Tommy John surgery in July of 2023.

“The slider development, post-surgery, just hasn’t come for him,” Scott said. “He doesn’t spin the ball as well as we had hoped coming off that surgery.”