Rockies’ Kyle Freeland to start pre-WBC exhibition against Team USA

The Colorado Rockies have had a successful start to their spring training slate, going 6-4 over their first 10 games. Heading into Monday afternoon’s matchup versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Rockies received good news regarding one of their most tenured veterans. Lefty starter Kyle Freeland is slated to make his first start of the spring against Team USA on Wednesday. According to team beat reporter Thomas Harding via X, formerly Twitter, it will be a pre-World Baseball Classic exhibition matchup.

“#Rockies will start LHP Kyle Freeland on Wednesday in a World Baseball Classic exhibition against Team USA,” reported Harding on Monday afternoon. “It’ll be the first spring start for Freeland, who slowed down his pace when back spasms flared early in camp. Freeland has checked out fine after two bullpen sessions.”

Freeland will look to bounce back after a rough 2025 campaign. The lefty went 5-17 with a 4.98 ERA over 162.2 innings, notching a 1.3 WAR in the process. The Rockies are now under new leadership, with Paul DePodesta hired to lead the baseball operations department. Manager Warren Schaefer, a lifelong Rockie, had the interim label removed. With the new leadership implementing their plans to revive the franchise, can Freeland help lead one of baseball’s worst starting rotations to a turnaround starting this month?

Rockies will look to Kyle Freeland to help lead starting rotation

With Freeland set to return to the rotation, most of the Rockies’ starting staff will still look different in 2026. Chase Dollander also returns for his sophomore season, with high hopes despite a rocky debut campaign. DePodesta and the front office brought aboard three veterans who relish the idea of trying to tame Coors Field: Jose Quintana, Tomoyuki Sugano, and Michael Lorenzen.

Together, the five starters will look to help usher in a new era of Rockies baseball. One of the new front office’s main goals is to utilize its unique home ballpark to its advantage. If veterans like Freeland, Quintana, Sugano, and Lorenzen can figure out the altitude’s secrets, then there’s hope for an arm with high potential like Dollander’s.

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