Colton

Welker

Welker was an interesting lottery ticket for the Giants as he worked his way back from last year’s shoulder surgery, but never wound up appearing in a game for San Francisco. The 25-year-old former top prospect got into 19 contests for the Rockies during the 2021 campaign.

Walton, who is likely to be sidelined until May as he continues his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery, is the most prominent of the Giants’ first round of cuts from spring training. Newcomb and Ross figure to be the most likely to contribute at some point for the Giants.

Welker was non-tendered by the Giants earlier this month, shortly after being removed from San Francisco’s 40-man roster, but has opted to return to the organization. The 25-year-old former top prospect made his big league debut last year with the Rockies and was claimed off waivers by the Giants after sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury. He’s a nice speculative organizational depth stash for the Giants heading into the 2023 campaign.

Welker, 25, had been designated for assignment earlier this week. The Giants got him on a waiver claim from the Rockies in July, knowing he was already done for the season following shoulder surgery. He seems like a long shot at this point after seeing very little action the last three years.

Welker falls victim to the Giants’ 40-man roster crunch a few months after being claimed off waivers from the division-rival Rockies. He wound up missing most of the 2022 season due to a shoulder injury.

They then immediately stashed him on the 60-day injured list where he’ll spend the rest of the season recovering from a shoulder injury. We had speculated that a savvy club could make this exact move when Welker was designated for assignment, and here we are. They pulled the same move with Luis Gonzalez and are currently reaping the rewards there.

Welker went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week and has been released by the Rockies. The 24-year-old infielder underwent season-ending left shoulder surgery earlier this month, but should be able to find a new opportunity rather quickly. He’ll likely wind up as an intriguing long-term project for another organization.

The Rockies needed to free up a spot on the 40-man roster so that Jose Ureña could start against the Dodgers on Wednesday, and it looks like Welker was the odd-man out. The 24-year-old is recovering from season-ending shoulder surgery, though the club is hopeful that he’ll be recovered in time for the Arizona Fall League. There’s a chance that a shrewd team could swoop in here, claim Welker off of waivers and ultimately stash him on the 60-day injured list without tying up a spot on their 40-man roster.

Welker is dealing with an impingement in the labrum. The operation is expected to end his season, although the Rockies are hopeful that Welker will be able to play in the Arizona Fall League. Welker also missed about half of the 2021 season while serving an 80-game PED suspension, and, of course, had his 2020 campaign wiped out by the pandemic.

Welker has been sent back to the minors to make room for Robert Stephenson and Lucas Gilbreath to rejoin the Rockies’ bullpen ahead of Tuesday’s contest against the Phillies. The 24-year-old infielder has yet to appear in a game in the majors this season, but holds a robust .375/.447/.594 batting line with two homers in eight games at the Triple-A level.