ST. LOUIS — Kyle Parker believes he’s major-league ready. Now he gets a chance to prove it.
The Rockies called up the outfielder/first baseman from Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday to take the place of left fielder Corey Dickerson, who was placed on the disabled list with fractured ribs.
“I feel like my game still needs to improve, but I keep getting better. I have been playing a lot more first, and I feel a lot more comfortable there,” said Parker, who played 18 games for the Rockies last season but got limited at-bats and limited results. He hit .192 (5-for-26) with one run, one double and one RBI.
Parker, 25, was the 26th overall selection in the 2010 draft. In 93 games with Albuquerque this season, he hit .280, with 53 runs, 19 doubles, four triples, nine homers and 58 RBIs. After a sluggish April, he caught fire. Since May 1, he hit .315 with seven home runs, 16 doubles and a .352 on-base percentage.
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The former Clemson quarterback has tried to learn to deal with the frustration of playing the waiting game in the minor leagues.
“It’s been difficult. To say it hasn’t been difficult would be a lie,” he said. “You never want to get caught in a bad mind-set, especially during the season.”
Roster moves. Right-hander Kyle Kendrick was placed on the 15-day DL with right shoulder inflammation. He’s scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday.
To bolster an overtaxed bullpen, the Rockies moved right-hander Christian Bergman off the DL and recalled right-hander Scott Oberg from Triple-A. The Rockies designated lefty Aaron Laffey for assignment.
DJ rocks. DJ LeMahieu batted .400 in July. He also batted .406 in April. That makes the second baseman the first Rockie to hit .400 or better in two months of a season since Larry Walker did it in 2002, when he hit .410 in June and .438 in July.
Rockies’ Yohan Flande (1-1, 3.68 ERA) at Cardinals’ Jaime Garcia (3-4, 2.00), 12:15 p.m. Sunday, ROOT; 850 AM
Flande is the latest to hitch a ride on the Rockies’ revolving rotation. He did quite well in his first start of the season Tuesday in Chicago, tossing five innings of four-hit ball to pick up the first victory of his big-league career. Garcia has had a rough season that has included two stints on the disabled list. The Cardinals’ offense has left the left-hander high and dry this season. St. Louis has been shut out four times in his eight starts and scored just 17 runs in those eight starts.
Monday: Mariners’ Felix Hernandez (12-6, 3.02 ERA) at Rockies’ Eddie Butler (3-7, 4.82), 6:40 p.m., ROOT
Tuesday: Mariners’ TBA at Rockies’ Chris Rusin (3-4, 4.61), 6:40 p.m., ROOT
Wednesday: Mariners’ Taijuan Walker (8-7, 4.73) at Rockies’ TBA, 1:10 p.m., ROOT
Thursday: Off
