Kyle Freeland is expected to make his return to the Rockies’ rotation Saturday against the Reds at Coors Field, per sources, after the club’s opening day starter spent nearly six weeks in Triple-A Albuquerque.

Freeland, 26, posted a historic 2018 season with a 2.85 ERA but the wheels fell off in his first dozen starts of 2019. The southpaw had a 7.13 ERA while getting blasted for 16 homers, and was demoted to the Isotopes on May 31.

While with Albuquerque, Freeland’s gone 0-4 with a 8.80 ERA in six starts, but his last outing on July 3 in Sacramento showed flashes of the confidence and command that enabled the Denver native to finish fourth in the voting for the National League Cy Young Award last year.

In that July 3 game, Freeland threw seven innings of one-run ball while striking out nine, and told The Denver Post last week that “pretty much everything I was working on all kind of came together in one start.”

The southpaw’s return to the rotation comes at a crucial time, as Colorado’s 5.57 ERA by starters is the worst in all of baseball. German Marquez and Jon Gray have carried the heaviest load, while Antonio Senzatela has been inconsistent and Peter Lambert is still going through rookie growing pains. So, a return to form by Freeland would be a huge boost to the club’s wild card hopes.

While with the Isotopes, Freeland specifically worked on regaining his slider as well as fastball command on both sides of the plate. He’ll face a confidence test in his return to Coors Field, where he’s posted an ugly 9.31 ERA in six starts this year.

A corresponding roster move will be announced ahead of Saturday’s 6:10 p.m. first pitch. With Freeland going on Saturday, Colorado has another rotation hole to fill for the second game of Monday’s doubleheader against the Giants. Right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez, who made two starts for Colorado prior to the all-star break, is the most likely candidate to start that game.