Rockies DFA one-time Cy Young finalist after ERA balloons to 11.57

The Rockies designated right-hander Dinelson Lamet for assignment, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports. Righty Gavin Hollowell was called up from Triple-A to take Lamet’s spot on Colorado’s roster.

Friday's 8-1 loss to the Braves saw Lamet charged with all eight runs over four innings of work, and it was just the latest in a series of rough outings for the 30-year-old this season. Lamet has an 11.57 ERA over 25 2/3 frames, which breaks down as a 10.80 ERA over 15 innings as a starter and a 12.66 ERA in 10 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. He worked as a reliever before spending most of May on the 15-day IL with lower-back tightness, and despite the lack of results, Lamet got a look as a starter due to Colorado’s dire need for rotation help.

The experiment didn’t work out, leaving Lamet possibly on his way out of the organization altogether. It’s another rough turn in the career of a player who seemed like one of baseball’s breakout arms when he finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting as a member of the Padres in 2020. Injuries kept Lamet off the mound entirely for big chunks of both the 2021 and 2022 campaigns, however, to the point that San Diego moved Lamet into a full-time relief role in an attempt to help keep him healthy.

The Padres dealt Lamet to the Brewers as part of the Josh Hader trade last summer, and after Milwaukee quickly DFA’ed Lamet, the Rockies claimed the righty off waivers. Because he has more than five years of MLB service time, Lamet has the right to refuse an outright assignment to the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate if he clears waivers this time around, and Lamet would still get to keep the remainder of the $5M salary he is owed for the 2023 season. Another team would be on the hook for that money if it claimed Lamet, and given his struggles, it is more likely that he’ll go unclaimed.