The Colorado Rockies are declining a $15 million option on outfielder Ian Desmond for the 2022 season and will instead buy him out for $2 million. Desmond opted out of the last two seasons due to concerns over COVID-19. Desmond ended up being a big bust for Colorado after signing a five-year, $70 million deal in the winter of 2016. He hit just .274/.326/.375 in his first year in Colorado and did not work out at first base like the Rockies hoped he would. In his three seasons with the Rockies, Desmond slashed .252/.313/.429. It's uncertain if the 36-year-old is interested in continuing his playing career after opting out the last two seasons. The two-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger winner has a .263/.315/.427 career slash line with 181 home runs and 181 stolen bases. He was an intriguing power/speed threat when he landed in Colorado, but it never panned out.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond posted a story on his personal Instagram account, saying: "For now, I've decided to opt out of the 2021 season." The 35-year-old went on to say that his "desire to be with my family is greater than my desire to go back and play baseball under these circumstances." He did leave the door open for a return by stating that he was going to continue to train and keep an eye on how "things unfold." Desmond opted out of the 2020 season as well and is in the final year of his contract with Colorado. He put up a .255/.310/.479 slash line with 20 home runs and 65 RBI over 140 games during his last full season back in 2019. It's unclear how long he's willing to wait before potentially opting back in, but if he remains out for the entire season, then this would be a boost to utility man Garrett Hampson's fantasy value.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond announced on his Instagram on Monday night that he will opt out of playing in 2020 because of health risks surrounding COVID-19 and racial issues inside the sport. Desmond said "the COVID-19 pandemic has made this baseball season one that is a risk I am not comfortable taking." His wife is also pregnant with the couple's fifth child. If he's not a high-risk individual due to any personal medical issues, Desmond will forego a prorated portion of his $15 million salary for this season. Desmond is under contract through 2021 and has a team option in 2022. Sam Hilliard and Raimel Tapia figure to benefit the most in Colorado's outfield with Desmond deciding to sit out this year.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond launched a 448-foot solo shot over the center field wall to give the team the lead in the bottom of the sixth on Wednesday. It was Desmond's 17th long ball of the year, and it would eventually turn out to be the winning run as the Rockies held off the Cardinals in a 2-1 game. Desmond is finishing out another disappointing year for the Rockies in which he mixes great highs with consistent lows. Desmond has hit safely in five of the last six games, but he's only gotten one hit in each of those, so he's only hitting .250 over the span. In fact, he's only had one multi-hit game in the last month.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond is out of the starting lineup Tuesday night against the Cardinals. Desmond is hitting .278 with two home runs with seven runs and four RBI over his last 10 games, and this appears to be nothing more than a day off for the 33-year-old. Raimel Tapia will slot in at left for Colorado and bat sixth against St. Louis and will look to break a six-game slump that has seen him go 2-for-19 at the plate.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond made his first impact in Monday's game when he came in to pitch in the eighth inning of a blowout loss to the Dodgers. It was Desmond's first-ever time pitching in the majors, and he only allowed one hit in his inning of relief. A fair sight better than most of the actual pitchers did in the game, Desmond then completed the performance by sending a solo shot over the wall in the top of the ninth inning. Colorado still lost the game, but Desmond will get to take a fun new memory home. Desmond has continued to disappoint in Colorado this year, and it looks like the team is just stuck wading through two more years of an over-the-hill version of him. At least they can call on him in relief if times get tough.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond continues to slog his way through another poor season by going just 4-for-24 over the last two weeks. It's another sub-par season for Desmond as he's hitting just .257 with 14 home runs and three stolen bases in just over 400 plate appearances. Desmond got hot for about six weeks early in the summer, but age caught up to the 33-year-old even though he gets regular days off to allow young Raimel Tapia to get chances. The Rockies are stuck with Desmond for another two years, but fantasy owners shouldn't be.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond (rest) is out of the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Desmond will get a routine rest day here, but should be back in the lineup on Tuesday. Garrett Hampson will cover center field and bat eighth versus righty Zac Gallen. Hampson doesn't have enough upside to warrant ownership in DFS contests or fantasy leagues.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond (rest) is out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Miami Marlins. Desmond will get a routine day off here to rest, so he should be back in the lineup on Saturday. Yonathan Daza will play center field and bat eighth versus righty Sandy Alcantara. Daza does not have enough value with the bat to warrant owning in DFS contests or fantasy leagues.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Ian Desmond came up to bat in the sixth inning while riding an 0-for-15 streak. Fortunately, that was apparently the moment he was waiting for. Desmond knocked a single to right to drive in a run, and he would repeat the effort in the top of the ninth to put the game away. Desmond's two hits helped break the team's five-game losing streak, and he broke out of his own hitless streak with his first multi-hit game in nearly two weeks. Though Desmond is a below-average hitter, his contract will keep him in the lineup for the foreseeable future. For fantasy purposes though, he shouldn't be owned outside of deep leagues. He just isn't very valuable unless he's on a hot streak.
