The Rockies have selected the contract of right-hander Eiberson Castellano, the team announced. When he appears in a game, it will be his MLB debut. Castellano will take the 40-man roster spot of righty Valente Bellozo. The veteran has already cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A. Right-hander Jeff Criswell was optioned to open a spot on the big-league club for Castellano.

The 25-year-old Castellano joined the organization on a minor league deal in December. He put together a 2.72 ERA across 10 starts at Double-A to open the season. The Rockies bumped Castellano to Triple-A, where he fired six scoreless innings in his lone start in the hitter-friendly PCL. He’s now on the move again, getting the big-league call as Colorado looks to add a fresh arm to a battered bullpen.

Castellano showed a five-pitch mix in his lone start with Albuquerque. He led with a curveball/four-seamer tandem, followed by a slider, sinker, and changeup. Castellano sat in the mid-90s with the fastball and sinker. It’s a hard slider, averaging nearly 90 mph. Castellano has posted solid strikeout numbers at times in the minors, but walks have tended to be an issue. He has a 23.8% strikeout rate and an 11.5% walk rate in 59 innings this year.

Bellozo didn’t break camp with the team, but was up during the first full week of the season. He was hammered for nine earned runs in 10 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. The 26-year-old was sent back to Triple-A in mid-April. He hasn’t been much better with the Isotopes, posting an 8.83 ERA across 12 appearances.

It isn’t much of a surprise that Bellozo didn’t garner any attention on the waiver wire, considering his performance this season. He’ll stick in the Colorado organization as a depth option in the minors. Bellozo put together a pair of respectable seasons with the Marlins, including 13 starts with a 3.67 ERA as a rookie in 2024. There’s a decent chance he gets another shot at eating some innings with the Rockies later this year.

Criswell made his return from Tommy John surgery at the end of May. He tossed two scoreless innings with the big-league club. Criswell has provided solid results in his limited time in the majors, but he’s racked up 49 pitches over the past three days, so Colorado swapped him out. Criswell was one of four relievers pressed into service behind Sean Sullivan on Friday. Sullivan was lifted after three innings with an illness.

Photo courtesy of Chris Tilley, Imagn Images