Jeff Hoffman knows what’s in front of him.

A first-round pick by Toronto in 2014 and the centerpiece of the Troy Tulowitzki trade a year later, the Rockies’ right-hander understands he hasn’t lived up to the high expectations thrust upon him. But he also understands that, with Tyler Anderson facing knee surgery and the Rockies with a gaping hole in the back end of the rotation, now is his time to cement himself as a reliable big-league starter.

“I definitely see this as an opportunity and the one that I’ve been waiting for,” Hoffman said. “It’s an extended chance to really solidify myself in this rotation and pitch side-by-side with these guys. I believe I have what it takes to help us get back to the postseason.”

After a mediocre spring training led to the Rockies having him start the season in Triple-A Albuquerque, Hoffman has been recalled twice. The first time he was a spot fill-in for an injured Kyle Freeland, and his second call-up came May 24 as Colorado needed a fifth starter in Anderson’s extended absence.

The results through three starts have been at worst serviceable, and at best promising. Manager Bud Black continues to monitor the 26-year-old’s progression from power pitcher with potential into a bonafide, consistent starting pitcher using all his pitches. Hoffman is 1-1 with a 7.20 ERA for Colorado, with 15 strikeouts to four walks.

“Jeff’s still trying to really get a foothold on being a major league pitcher, and for him it’s performance and the consistency aspect,” Black said. “There’s some things in-game and some things with his delivery that we’re getting a lot closer to (normalizing). You hope for every player to have a quick transition from a minor-leaguer to a big-leaguer — but a lot of times, it’s not that swift.”

Specifically, Hoffman has paid ample attention to commanding his high-90s fastball, building confidence in his offspeed pitches and making sure his arm slot stays at the same high angle in order to get effective cut on his pitches.

“The consistent arm slot lets my fastball play a little bit more up,” Hoffman said. “My outing (against Baltimore), when my arm angle dropped a little bit, that was a big red flag where that was something where it was a fatigue thing and adjusting poorly as the game wore on. We were able to clean that up in a bullpen session.”

Hoffman’s progression in 2019, from the 9.35 ERA he posted in limited action last season, hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates as he tries to master his three-pitch mix of fastball, curveball and changeup.

“He’s using his stuff a lot more,” fellow right-hander Jon Gray said. “The last few years he had really good stuff, with a good fastball and a good curveball to miss a lot of bats. But at times it didn’t seem he used his curve the right way — in terms of the right spots, right time, when to bounce it. But I’m seeing a maturity in how he uses all his pitches. Even when he doesn’t have his curveball, now he can go to his change-up and that has bailed him out of some tough at-bats.”

Hoffman grinded through an uncertain role with the Isotopes through the first quarter-plus of the season to earn his current opportunity with the Rockies. He was often scratched from his normal starts in Albuquerque in case the Rockies needed to call him up.

“I’m not going to lie and say it’s easy going up and down, having starts scratched, just the general sense of constantly wondering what’s next,” Hoffman said. “It can tax you a bit, because there’s a lot of travel involved, a lot of late nights. But I’ve just tried to stay completely focused on what my job is on the mound.”

And with German Marquez providing the steadiness, plus Jon Gray and Antonio Senzatela trending toward consistency, Hoffman could be the dark-horse stabilizer Black is searching for amid Anderson’s injury and the struggles of opening day starter Kyle Freeland. The rotation’s collective ERA is 5.72, the worst in the National League.

“It’s a very talented rotation, and anytime you have talent who plays a long time in this game, you’re bound to go through ups-and-downs like we’re seeing with Freeland and some of the other guys,” catcher Chris Iannetta said. “Everyone who’s been around the majors is going to go through that, but we can get back on track, and Jeff can help get (the rotation) there.”