Márquez's progress latest highlight for Rockies' rotation

Colorado Rockies pitcher Germán Márquez anticipates rejoining the team's starting rotation around the All-Star break as he recovers from Tommy John surgery performed on his right elbow in May 2023. Despite the injury, he signed a two-year contract extension last September, expressing optimism about the future of the rotation and the team.

Márquez is encouraged by the rotation's improved performance in May 2024, posting a 3.77 ERA over 23 games. He also highlighted the expected mid-June return of left-hander Kyle Freeland and praised the recent outings of Austin Gomber (Majors' fourth-lowest May ERA at 0.68) and Cal Quantrill (eighth-lowest May ERA at 1.71). He noted that Ryan Feltner is performing well aside from occasional big innings.

Márquez experienced a minor setback on May 10 during a rehab game in the Arizona Complex League, feeling pain and inflammation behind his elbow after pitching. While he hasn't appeared in a game since, this downtime allows his 30-day Minor League rehab clock to restart. He recently threw a "touch-and-feel" bullpen session and plans a full bullpen soon. Márquez is currently rehabbing in Scottsdale but will join the Rockies during their upcoming series at Dodger Stadium for observation.

Reflecting on his pre-surgery performance, Márquez acknowledged velocity and location dips in 2021 and 2022, attributing them to a release point issue with his fastball. Although he felt he corrected the mechanics last spring, attempting to increase his extension led to the elbow problems requiring surgery. Early feedback indicates he can safely throw all his pitches—slider, curveball, and changeup—with the corrected mechanics, and his focus is on reaching 100% health to return to the field.