The scene was July 11, 2020. Coors Field was empty. The Colorado Rockies were in uniform. COVID-induced summer camp had just begun, and the presumed future face of Rockies pitching was on the hill — wearing number 80.
Ryan Rolison has not touched a big league mound since 2020 summer camp, and his fate since then has been absolutely gut-wrenching.
The young left-hander was confined to the COVID alternate site in 2020, shut out of minor league innings. He picked back up in Triple-A in 2021, but after just 25 days of action, appendicitis shut him down for two whole months.