Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Most MLB teams go out of their way to surprise minor leaguers who’ve been called up to The Show to try to make the moment as memorable as possible. The Rockies attempted to do that after deciding to add Chase Dollander to their roster, but the pitcher had already gotten a hint thanks to the hotel that sent him a confirmation text before he got the good news.
There are only 26 roster spots up for grabs on each team when the MLB kicks off its season, and most guys who don’t manage to earn one by the time spring training wraps up are forced to grapple with the fact they’ll need to keep grinding in the minors in the hopes of eventually getting the nod.
That was the situation Chase Dollander found himself facing this year, as the former Tennessee pitcher who was selected by the Colorado Rockies with the ninth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft was invited to spring training for the first time but ended up being assigned to the Albuquerque Isotopes, the team’s Triple-A affiliate, when the preseason wrapped up.
The Rockies once again got off to a rough start this year, and the team decided to switch things up by calling up Dollander to the big leagues ahead of his MLB debut against the Athletics on Sunday after covertly filming the moment he found out about that development.
Bah God, that’s Chase Dollander’s Music pic.twitter.com/3XyLU9YtoT
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 4, 2025
However, it turns out Dollander had a pretty good idea of what was about to go down when he was called into that meeting, as he admitted he’d received a text from a hotel in Denver shortly before stepping into the manager’s office confirming he’d been booked for a stay in the city the Rockies call home.
Funny story about #Rockies Chase Dollander’s promotion…
Before getting the news from the Isotopes staff, Dollander got an email from a Denver hotel about his upcoming reservation. pic.twitter.com/1urtzI9A6p
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) April 5, 2025
Dollander did have a fairly rough outing by allowing four runs in the five innings he pitched against the Athletics in his debut on Sunday, but he got an assist from the hot bats that help him secure the win as Colorado earned a 12-5 victory to snap a six-game skid and “improve” to 2-7 on the season.