The Colorado Rockies have moved Jorge De La Rosa to the bullpen, according to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.

De La Rosa made his return from the disabled list last night in Boston. He got rocked to the tune of seven runs and nine hits in 3⅓ innings. Not only that, but De La Rosa only struck out one batter. Prior to his DL stint, strikeouts, at least, were not an issue. In all, De La Rosa has only made it past the fifth inning in one out of his six major-league starts.

De La Rosa is in the second year of a two-year contract extension he signed with the team in 2014. He cannot be optioned to the minors. The Rockies also cannot trade De La Rosa without his consent because he has ten years of major-leage service time and five years of service time with the Rockies. Despite his struggles, it is easy to imagine a contender seeking the services of a left-handed pitcher with an extensive track record of big-league success. A trade can't be discounted.

From a perspective of performance, the move to the bullpen makes sense. Still, it will be strange to see one of the most successful starters in Rockies history coming out of the bullpen. De La Rosa has a 4.36 ERA and a 105 ERA+ in his nine years with the Rockies. The Rockies had a tough decision to face with their roster, as we noted earlier today. Now, the difficulty lies in De La Rosa's transition to the bullpen.