28-year old lefty swinging outfielder Seth Smith has been hitting well and he’s been very consistent with the stick this year. Smith has played in 43 games for the Rockies so far this year and he is 44 for 145 (.303 avg, .902 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 5 homers, 22 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. It’s too bad that Smith usually struggles against lefty pitchers because I would like to see what kind of numbers he could put up with 500 ABs in a year.

The Rockies have designated 33-year old switch-hitting IF/OF Alfredo Amezaga for assignment. He played in 20 games for the Rockies this year and he was 8 for 33 (.242 avg, .570 OPS) with 5 runs scored and 2 RBIs. The Rockies have called up 25-year old righty swinging 2B Chris Nelson to replace Amezaga on the active roster. Nelson came into this season as the Rockies’ #17 prospect according to Baseball America. Nelson has played in 49 games in AAA-ball this year and he is 62 for 197 (.315 avg, .848 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 5 homers, 40 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Nelson got his first taste of the majors last year with the Rockies when he played in 17 games in which he was 7 for 25 (.280 avg, .628 OPS) with 7 runs scored and 1 stolen base.

The Rockies have designated 27-year old righty swinging 2B/3B Jose Lopez for assignment. Lopez played in 38 games for the Rockies this year and he is 26 for 125 (.208 avg, .521 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 2 homers, 8 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He has now played in 911 games in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 923 for 3,499 (.264 avg, .690 OPS) with 390 runs scored, 82 homers, 439 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. Lopez won’t likely have a hard time finding a new job but he was just taking up roster space for the Rockies.

UPDATE: (6/8/2011) - The Rockies have released Jose Lopez.

Righty reliever Jose Jimenez only pitched 4 years with the Rockies but he made his mark. His best season came in 2002 with the Rockies. Jimenez pitched in 74 games (0 starts) for the Rockies in 2002 and he was 2-10 with 41 saves, a 3.56 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He pitched in 265 games (7 starts) in his four years with the Rockies and he was 15-23 with 102 saves, a 4.13 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Jimenez is #2 in Rockies’ history in saves with 102 and he’s also #6 in games pitched (265) in team history. Huston Street will likely knock Jimenez down a spot in games pitched and saves before he’s done pitching with the Rockies.

Lefty starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa is going to miss the rest of this season and part of next season as he needs Tommy John Surgery. De La Rosa pitched in 10 games (all starts) for the Rockies this year and he was 5-2 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Righty Greg Reynolds will take over for De La Rosa for the time being. Reynolds has pitched in 3 games (2 starts) for the Rockies so far this year and he is 0-0 with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Righty Aaron Cook will take over De La Rosa’s spot in the near future as he is currently on a rehab assignment. Cook has pitched in 3 games (all starts) in AA-ball so far this year and he is 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. The Rockies are going to miss De La Rosa as they were counting on him at the top of the rotation this year.

The Colorado Rockies have designated 27-year old righty reliever Felipe Paulino for assignment. Paulino pitched in 18 games (0 starts) for the Rockies this year and he was 0-4 with a 7.36 ERA and a 2.05 WHIP. He gave up 23 hits and he walked 7 batters in his 14 2/3 innings for the Rockies so he wasn’t throwing many strikes or missing many bats when he did. Some team will probably claim Paulino off waivers.

UPDATE: (5/27/2011) - The Rockies have dealt Felipe Paulino to the Royals for some cold, hard cash.

31-year old righty reliever Matt Lindstrom has been outstanding so far this year for the Rockies. He has pitched in 21 games (0 starts) for the Rockies so far this year and he is 0-0 with 2 saves, a 1.47 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. He has only walked 4 batters so far this year in his first 18 1/3 innings while whiffing 15 batters as he has been really efficient with his pitches so far this year. He has a big time right arm and he would be the Rockies first choice to close if something were to have to closer Huston Street.

The Colorado Rockies have dealt 25-year old lefty reliever Franklin Morales to the Red Sox for either a player to be named later or cash considerations. Morales pitched in 14 games (0 starts) for the Rockies this year and he was 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He pitched in 102 games (15 starts) in his five years with the Rockies and he was 7-11 with 10 saves, a 4.83 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. I hope the Rockies get back a good player for Morales because I think they gave up on him a little too soon as sometimes lefties take a little longer to develop.

37-year old lefty swinging 1B Todd Helton is playing well for the Colorado Rockies so far this year. Last season, Helton played in only 118 games in which he was 102 for 398 (.256 avg, .729 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 8 homers and 37 RBIs. Many thought Helton was near the end of he line, even the Rockies did as they signed Ty Wigginton last winter, just in case. Helton has played in 35 games for the Rockies so far this year and he is 39 for 121 (.322 avg, .916 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 9 doubles, 6 homers and 19 RBIs. The Rockies hope that Helton’s back holds up because they need his bat.

28-year old righty swinging 3B Josh Fields is off to a great start in AAA-ball this year. He has played in 27 games in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 31 for 87 (.356 avg, 1.121 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 6 homers, 22 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Fields last played in the majors in 2010 with the Royals. He has played in 217 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 167 of 713 (.234 avg, .724 OPS) with 95 runs scored, 34 homers, 107 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has also whiffed 235 times in his major league career as he has been pretty much an all or nothing hitter in the majors. If he keeps hitting well while Ian Stewart continues to struggle with the Rockies, he might get a chance to revive his major league career with the Rockies in 2011.