Rockies announce Opening Day roster

The Rockies officially announced their Opening Day roster Thursday afternoon. The club has recalled right-handed pitcher Jake Bird, and placed right-handed pitchers Daniel Bard and Antonio Senzatela on the 15-day injured list and outfielder Randal Grichuk on the 10-day injured list.

Six players will appear on their first Opening Day active roster: pitchers Bird, Ryan Feltner and Connor Seabold, catcher Brian Serven, and infielders Elehuris Montero and Ezequiel Tovar.

Outfielder Charlie Blackmon, the longest tenured active Rockie entering his 13th Major League season, is a member of his 10th career Opening Day roster, surpassing Carlos González and Troy Tulowitzki for the second-most in franchise history behind Todd Helton’s 16.

Catcher (2): Elias Díaz, Brian Serven
Put together his work during Cactus League play and the World Baseball Classic, and the indication is Díaz just might reverse his history of slow starts.

First base (1): C.J. Cron
Cron has recovered from the back issues that slowed him during camp, and he crammed at-bats at the end to work on pitch recognition.

Second base (1): Ryan McMahon
McMahon not only has made a smooth transition from third to second but has fashioned a sneaky-good catalog of quality at-bats -- important, since he will hit third in the regular lineup.

Third base (1): Elehuris Montero
Montero has received high marks for his progress against breaking balls this spring, and he must continue that when the regular-season lights shine.

Shortstop (1): Ezequiel Tovar
Tovar showed he could handle the position defensively, and he finished camp swinging the bat well.

Outfield (3): Jurickson Profar, Yonathan Daza, Kris Bryant
Profar makes the lineup make sense, Daza will need to produce toward the bottom of the lineup and Bryant hit with power all camp. Randal Grichuk (recovery from bilateral sports hernia) should return in April.

Designated hitter (1): Charlie Blackmon
Blackmon had to shake off a back injury during camp, but he moved freely and demonstrated endurance at the end.

Bench/Utility (3): Harold Castro, Mike Moustakas, Alan Trejo
Moustakas’ ability to play third and first and Castro’s dependability in the infield and outfield allow manager Bud Black flexibility in his lineup decisions. Trejo offers valuable protection at shortstop.

Starting pitchers (5): Kyle Freeland, Germán Márquez, Austin Gomber, José Ureña, Ryan Feltner
Freeland will have a slightly restricted pitch count to start the season; otherwise, this group lines up as expected. Gomber’s improvement was one of camp’s brightest stories. Right-hander Antonio Senzatela, recovering from left knee surgery last year, is due back in May.

Relief pitchers (8): Jake Bird, Pierce Johnson, Dinelson Lamet, Brad Hand, Brent Suter, Justin Lawrence, Ty Blach, Connor Seabold
Lamet, who converted to relief last year, and Lawrence, who has gone through the development process the last two years, made major strides.