will move from the Rockies bullpen to the starting rotation, manager Bud Black told reporters this evening ( ). Hell step into the starting spot vacated by placement on the 15-day injured list. Righty , who was recalled from Triple-A as the corresponding move, will occupy the long relief role that Lambert had held. The 27-year-old Lambert is no stranger to the rotation. He started 19 games as a rookie in 2019 and opened 11 of 25 appearances last season. The former second-round pick has generally struggled as a starter. He lost a spring battle with for the final spot in the Opening Day rotation, yet he has impre sed out of the bullpen. Lambert has to sed 11 2/3 innings over Colorado Rockies Jersey six relief appearances, allowing just three runs. While his 10:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio isnt particularly impre sive, he has kept the ball on the ground at a huge 61.3% clip. Freelands injury affords Lambert another opportunity to try to prove himself as a starter. Hell make his first start of the season on Sunday as part of a doubleheader against the Mariners. Its an important season for Lambert, who has quietly accrued more than three years of MLB service. Hes playing this year on a modest $1.25MM arbitration salary and will be controllable for another two seasons. Theres clearly opportunity for Lambert to hold a spot in the rotation if he finds any level of succe s. Colorados rotation looked like arguably the worst group in MLB entering the year. It has indeed been a major problem. Their 6.33 ERA is more than a run higher than any other starting staff. A lot of that has been because of Freeland, who entered the year as the staff ace. The veteran southpaw was tagged for 25 runs (23 earned) over his first 15 2/3 frames. His effort to figure things out will be halted for a few weeks by an elbow strain. Black told reporters that the team was hoping for a 4-6 week timeline for Freelands return to an MLB mound. Ty Blach Jersey