Rockies' Jeff Hoffman: Shipped to minors

Hoffman was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday, The Denver Post reports.

Analysis:

The pitching prospect seemed like a good bet to crack the Rockies' rotation, especially in light of recent injuries to Chris Rusin (oblique) and Chad Bettis (illness), but after serving up nine hits and walking two batters in his 5.2 spring innings, the Rockies opted to send Hoffman back to the minors for more seasoning. The 24-year-old struggled with command at times last season, most notably posting a 4.9 BB/9 in 31.1 big league innings, but given his prospect pedigree, it's likely that he'll get the call back to the majors once he's able to work on his mechanics and fill up the strike zone more consistently. This development likely puts German Marquez, Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela, and Harrison Musgrave in better position to claim one of the final two rotation spots in Denver.