The Rockies optioned Montero to Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday.
Montero saw regular duty at third base after Ryan McMahon was moved to second to cover for the loss of Brendan Rodgers (shoulder). However, the Rockies have reverted back to McMahon at the hot corner of late when it became apparent Montero couldn't hack it defensively. Montero's bat has also faded lately as his playing time dwindled.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Takes a seat again Friday
Rotowire
Montero is not in the Rockies' lineup for Friday's game against the Phillies.
He's now been on the bench for three of the last four games, and the one game he did start was in the designated hitter spot. Meanwhile, each of Ryan McMahon's starts during that stretch have come at third base, as it appears the Rockies might no longer be willing to put up with Montero's poor defense at the hot corner.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Sitting again Wednesday
Rotowire
Montero is out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Pirates.
Montero will sit for a second consecutive contest after making two errors in the field in Monday's loss to the Pirates. Ryan McMahon will take care of third base duties, while Alan Trejo covers second base.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Sitting out Tuesday
Rotowire
Montero is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Pirates.
The 24-year-old will take a seat after making two errors at third base in Monday's blowout loss versus Pittsburgh, and manager Bud Black said he plans to "readdress" the position defensively, per Thomas Harding of MLB.com. It remains to be seen exactly how Montero's role changes, but a move back to the minors doesn't appear out of the question. Ryan McMahon is handling the hot corner Tuesday with Alan Trejo covering second base.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Struggling in return to lineup
Rotowire
Montero went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Sunday against the Mariners.
Montero started at third base for the second consecutive day since returning from a three-game absence caused by a thumb injury. He collected an RBI knock in Saturday's matchup, but he has gone just 1-for-6 with three strikeouts since his return. Despite a 31.8 percent strikeout across 44 plate appearances on the season, Montero has maintained a .310/.341/.452 line.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Returns from thumb injury
Rotowire
Montero is hitting seventh and playing third base Saturday against the Mariners, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
Harding missed three straight games for the Rockies while dealing with a sore thumb. The infielder will man the hot corner against Seattle, so Alan Trejo is back on the bench.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Could return Saturday
Rotowire
Montero (thumb) could return to action Saturday against the Mariners, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
He is missing a third straight game with a sore thumb but has been doing full pregame on-field activities, so Montero's return is imminent. Alan Trejo is starting at third base Friday.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Remains out of lineup Friday
Rotowire
Montero (thumb) remains out of the lineup Friday at Seattle.
Montero suffered a right thumb injury on a slide into home plate Monday versus the Cardinals and hasn't played since. Alan Trejo will start at third base and bat eighth for the Rockies on Friday night against the Mariners.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Out again Wednesday
Rotowire
Montero (thumb) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.
According to Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post, Montero was a late scratch ahead of Tuesday's 9-6 loss to St. Louis with a right thumb injury, which he suffered during an awkward slide at home plate in Monday's 7-4 win in the series opener. The Rockies will turn to Mike Moustakas at third base Wednesday as a replacement for Montero, who is considered day-to-day.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Scratched from lineup Tuesday
Rotowire
Montero (hand) was scratched from the Rockies' lineup Tuesday against the Cardinals, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.
Montero has some soreness in his right hand following an awkward slide into home plate Monday. He's considered day-to-day. Harold Castro will jump in at third base and bat seventh versus the visiting Cardinals and right-hander Miles Mikolas.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Gets day of rest
Rotowire
Montero is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals.
Montero will get a day of rest against right-hander Trevor Williams. In his place, Mike Moustakas will hit fifth and play third base. Over 28 at-bats to begin 2023, Montero has hit .321 with a .785 OPS, a home run and three RBI.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Gets breather Monday
Rotowire
Montero is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Dodgers, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.
With Mike Moustakas drawing the nod at third base Monday, Montero will sit after he had manned the position in each of the Rockies' first four games of the 2023 season. Montero recorded four hits -- including a home run -- across his 16 at-bats in the Rockies' season-opening series in San Diego, but he struck out eight times.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Appears ready for starting job
Rotowire
Montero has gone 16-for-51 with four home runs and two doubles during Cactus League action.
Montero has swung the bat well for much of spring, but that's been particularly true of late. He has tallied four multi-hit performances in his last eight contests, and he has gone deep twice in that span. After Nolan Jones was optioned to Triple-A on Monday, Montero's primary competition for the starting job at third base appears to be Mike Moustakas.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Slugs third spring homer
Rotowire
Montero went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's Cactus League contest against the Cubs.
Montero took Justin Steele yard in the second inning to tally his third homer of spring training. He's competing for the third base job and his done well at the plate, ripping four extra-base hits while also maintaining a .385 on-base percentage across 39 plate appearances this spring. The primary question for Montero's playing time will be whether he can prove quick enough to be an adequate fielder at the hot corner.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Expected to compete for 3B job
Rotowire
Montero is expected to get a chance to compete for the Rockies' third base job with Ryan McMahon moving to second, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
It will be Montero and Nolan Jones duking it out at the hot corner, general manager Bill Schmidt told Sherman. Montero faded late with the Rockies last season but overall held his own in his first stint in the majors with a .702 OPS and six home runs over 53 games. He's out of options, so the 24-year-old will make the Opening Day roster no matter what. Montero would be at a disadvantage in a potential platoon scenario though, as the right-handed hitter to Jones' left-handed bat.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Ends season in slump
Rotowire
Montero went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Wednesday's loss to the Dodgers.
Montero ended his season with a hitless performance and batted only .150 across his last 12 games. He made his big-league debut in 2022 and maintained a solid .199 ISO, but he also had a .233/.270/.432 line thanks to a 32.4 percent strikeout rate. Montero will be a candidate to earn playing time at the corner infield spots and designated hitter to begin the 2023 campaign.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Homers in loss
Rotowire
Montero went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Wednesday night's loss to the Giants.
Montero came in to replace C.J. Cron in the bottom of the sixth after the latter was hit by a pitch and had to leave the game. The 24-year-old utility man would go on to score the Rockies' only run of the game with a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth. Montero is now hitting .231 in the month of September with just two hits in his last 20 at-bats (.100).
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Slugs fifth homer
Rotowire
Montero went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, a walk and two runs scored Tuesday against the Brewers.
Including Tuesday's game, Montero has started only six of Colorado's last 14 games. However, Brendan Rodgers got the day off, which left an opening for Montero at third base. He took advantage of the opportunity by taking Brandon Woodruff yard in the third inning for his fifth home run of the season. Montero has a .210 ISO and .406 slugging percentage through 129 big-league plate appearances, but he's also struck out at a 34.1 percent clip.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Playing time dwindling
Rotowire
Montero has started only five of Colorado's last 13 games entering Tuesday's matchup against Milwaukee.
Montero appears to be stuck in a short-side platoon role, as four of his five starts in the last 13 games have come against lefties -- replacing either Ryan McMahon or C.J. Cron. Montero has collected 14 extra-base hits in 125 plate appearances in the majors this season, but he's also struck out at a 34.4 percent clip.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Sitting in series finale
Rotowire
Montero is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.
Even though he's produced a strong .832 OPS in August, Montero has surprisingly seen a decline in playing time of late. He'll be on the bench for the third time in four games as the Rockies close out their series at Citi Field.
