Manager Walt Weiss now appears inclined to carry three catchers to open the season, putting McKenry on sturdy ground to win a 25-man roster berth, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports. "Honestly, the way that it looks like it's heading, is if we ca

Manager Walt Weiss now appears inclined to carry three catchers to open the season, putting McKenry on sturdy ground to win a 25-man roster berth, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports. "Honestly, the way that it looks like it's heading, is if we carry the two catchers in [Nick] Hundley and McKenry, then [Wilin] Rosario lines up now as that half-catcher who plays first base," Weiss said Tuesday.

Analysis:

McKenry's standing with the Rockies appeared to be tenuous after Weiss suggested earlier in the spring that the team would consider going with a four-man bench consisting of only one backup catcher to open the season, but it appears the manager has since changed his tune. Rosario's lack of development as a game caller and pitch blocker the last few seasons finally influenced the Rockies to move him to a position where his defensive shortcomings won't be as glaring, leaving McKenry to serve as the primary understudy to Hundley behind the plate. Though his roster spot is seemingly secure, McKenry may not notice much increased opportunity to build on last season's impressive .315/.398/.512 batting line. McKenry remains inferior defensively to Hundley and bats from the same side of the plate, likely closing off the possibility of a platoon developing. Instead, McKenry's chances to pick up starts may be largely limited to day-game-after-night-game scenarios.