The Rockies announced this afternoon that they had optioned the left-hander's contract. Austin Kitchenright handed Jeff Hartlieb He was designated a designated player to make room for Kitchen on both Colorado's 40-man roster and active roster.
Kitchen, 27, will be making his major league debut as he appears in his first game with the Rockies. The left-handed pitcher went undrafted out of Coastal Carolina University in 2019 and spent the 2020 season pitching in the independent Washington League as part of the Steel City Slammin' Sammies. After impressing that year with a 1.50 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 12 innings as an independent relief pitcher, the Rockies decided to add Kitchen to their roster, assigning him to Single-A Fresno for the duration of the 2021 season.
Kitchen's first season with the affiliate was disappointing, with a 4.97 ERA and just 16.6% strikeout rate over 50 2/3 innings in both rotation and relief. Since 2022, Kitchen has been moved to a more full-time relief role and his performance has improved significantly. In his first season out of the rotation, Kitchen posted a much more respectable 3.32 ERA and struck out 21.2% of batters faced at the High-A and Double-A levels, before returning to Double-A the following season and posting similar numbers over 59 2/3 innings of relief. Kitchen did get some playing time at Triple-A late last year, but gave up one inning of six runs over two appearances.
The left-hander has made 18 relief appearances at the Triple-A level this year and his production has improved greatly. Kitchen's 3.00 ERA is all the more impressive considering he plays in the aggressive environment of the Pacific Coast League, but his strikeout rate has dipped to a somewhat worrying 17.6% in 33 innings this year. Still, Kitchen's production has been enough to earn him a shot at the big leagues with the Rockies, who need all the help they can get as their relief pitchers have a 5.75 ERA this year, the worst in major league baseball.
Kitchens' replacement on the active and 40-man roster is 30-year-old right-hander Hartlieb. Hartlieb has pitched parts of five major league seasons since making his debut with the Pirates in 2019. Hartlieb's major league opportunities have been relatively scarce since the 2020 season, appearing in just 14 major league games over the past four years. However, his numbers have not been particularly impressive, with an 8.59 ERA and just 17.2% strikeout rate in 22 innings pitched. That includes a tough outing in Colorado this year, when he allowed 10 runs (9 earned) on 13 hits, five walks and seven strikeouts in nine innings pitched.
The Rockies have a week to decide whether to negotiate a trade for Hartlieb or place him on waivers. If Hartlieb passes waivers, the Rockies could try to release him to the minor leagues, but the right-hander has the right to opt out as a free agent because he has been released before in his career.
