Starting pitcher Ryan Feltner , 30, has made 89 starts over his six-year career with the Colorado Rockies . That didn't seem likely to change this year, as he has started 22 games for the Rockies. But after being scratched due to an illness on Saturday, August 29, vs the Atlanta Braves , the Rockies entered Sunday's game with a beleaguered bullpen as six relievers combined to cover Feltner on Saturday. So, following a solid five-inning start by Mason Adams in just his second career start after being acquired from the Chicago White Sox in the Brenton Doyle trade at the deadline, Feltner covered the last four innings, performing very well in relief.
Following his outing in Atlanta, Feltner started in his next two outings vs the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees . He was serviceable in both outings, going five innings in each, allowing three and four earned runs vs the Cardinals and Yankees. The Rockies found themselves in a similar situation bullpen-wise yesterday, as they had used eight relievers the previous two games in losses to the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres . So, following a four-inning outing by Kyle Freeland , Feltner was once again used in relief, having not pitched since September 10 vs the Yankees.
For the second straight time, Feltner was excellent in relief vs a team in the thick of the postseason race . In nine combined innings vs the Padres and Braves, Feltner allowed zero earned runs, one unearned run, on eight hits with 11 Ks to just three BBs.
While his outing in Atlanta ended in a walk-off single to right field by Matt Olson in the 10th inning, he earned his sixth win of the season vs San Diego . Shutting down a scorching hot Padres lineup that was on an eight-game winning streak and averaging seven runs per game in their previous six games. Including 20 runs in a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants from September 11-13 at very pitcher-friendly AT&T Park, albeit against a 64-89 Giants squad.
Sep. 15, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA: Colorado Rockies catcher Brett Sullivan (26) and relief pitcher Ryan Feltner (18) celebrate the win after defeating the San Diego Padres at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
In his five innings of work, Feltner struck out Xander Bogaerts twice, Fernando Tatis Jr. once, and ended the game by forcing Tatis Jr. into a game-ending double play. Tatis Jr. entered last night's game as one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the past week. Hitting .379 with 11 hits, three home runs, seven RBI, and seven runs scored, per StatMuse . Including a 455-foot bomb to left he had hit off of Freeland earlier in the night. It was an outing that earned praise from Rockies' manager Warren Schaeffer postgame, when he noticeably compared it to Feltner's last relief outing in Atlanta:
"I saw the same thing I saw in Atlanta. I saw attack mode from the moment he stepped on the mound, getting ahead in counts, putting hitters away. Stuff was nasty. I saw everything good. I mean, I saw everything that Ryan Feltner can give you. He gave you tonight in calm, collected, in control; I thought it was a really, really nice outing by him."
Following that postgame presser by Schaeffer and looking at some other factors, it would not be surprising at all to see Feltner continue out of the bullpen.
Schaeffer clearly loved what he's seen out of Feltner in his two relief outings this year and rightfully so. His postgame comments seem to point towards Feltner once again coming out of relief in his next outing. But that couldn't happen without other factors giving the Rockies that option. The main one being that Adams has looked excellent in his first four starts with Colorado this season, allowing just seven earned runs over 18 2/3 innings with 22 Ks to nine BBs. Adams gives the Rockies a five-man rotation, joining Tanner Gordon , Gabriel Hughes , Freeland, and Tomoyuki Sugano .
The second factor is that Feltner has not been good as a starting pitcher this season. This season, he posted a 6.08 ERA in his first 20 starts. Significantly higher than the 4.49 ERA he posted in his last full season when he started 30 games in 2024. Additionally, per Statcast , Feltner's four-seam fastball run value is down to -9 this season after posting a stellar 9 run value in 2024. His breaking ball run value has also gone down from -5 to -14, his barrel rate ballooned from 6.5% to 10%, and his K rate fell from 19.9% to 17%.
Aug 24, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Colorado Rockies pitcher Ryan Feltner (18) walks off the mound after pitching against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Perhaps more significantly, Feltner's biggest problem in his young career has been finishing outings strong and giving the Rockies length. He would consistently give the Rockies three to five innings of excellent pitching and then would implode in the sixth. Out of his 20 starts this year, Feltner has gone six innings just six times and failed to get through five innings six times. That has held this season.
His 8.10 ERA covering ten innings in the sixth inning this year is far and away his worst of any inning. Opposing lineups have hit .341/.420/.636 with a 1.056 OPS in the sixth inning this year. He has also posted a 5.73 ERA over 22 innings in the first inning.
With Feltner continuing in relief, he would avoid the first inning altogether and be much fresher for the later innings. The results have been excellent for Feltner in two relief outings this year. With just 11 games remaining in the regular season and a full rotation that Colorado can rely on outside of Feltner, it makes perfect sense to see how he does in a couple more relief outings before heading into the offseason.
The Rockies successfully utilized long-relievers in high-leverage roles earlier in the season with Antonio Senzatela and Chase Dollander . They could do the same with Feltner. Consistently having a reliable long-reliever is perhaps more important in Colorado than in any other organization. The past few seasons, the Rockies have had very little pitching depth to rely on, and when injuries struck the starting rotation, it gave the Rockies serious issues. The future of Freeland and Sugano in Colorado remains unclear, but Feltner could provide reliable depth for Dollander, Adams, and Hughes as they continue to work their way through the initial bumps of their young careers.
Feltner also has his fair share of recent injury history. Feltner showed the potential of a breakout pitcher at the end of 2024 as he was pitching like the clear best pitcher in the Rockies rotation. But his 2025 season was unfortunately cut short due to back spasms, limiting him to just six games. He has not been able to find the same late-season form he showed in 2024 since. Feltner's future in Colorado is also uncertain as he enters his third year of arbitration this offseason.
But they have seen the ceiling of Feltner during his six years with the Rockies. It is impressive, and while it may not be as a starting pitcher anymore, he could still play a vital role for a young Colorado team as they continue to establish their pitching corps under a new regime .
Main Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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