Noah Spirek | July 21, 2025
After being drafted in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Ryan Rolison finally reached the big leagues in 2025. The 28-year-old has overcome setback after setback in his nearly eight-year professional career.
In high school, Rolison starred at the University School of Jackson in Jackson, Tennessee. Perfect Game had him ranked as the No. 1 player in the state of Tennessee in the Class of 2016, and as a senior, he went 9-0, allowing three runs in 58 innings while striking out 108 batters en route to earning the title of Tennessee’s DII-A Mr. Baseball.
In 2017, Rolison posted a 3.06 ERA as a freshman at Ole Miss, striking out 64 batters across 61.2 innings in 19 games (10 starts).
In 2018, Rolison transitioned to a full-time starter, going 10-4 with a 3.70 ERA. Rolison made 16 starts, striking out 120 batters in 97.1 innings. MLB.com mocked him as a potential top-10 draft pick, but the Rockies were able to select him with the 22nd overall pick in the 2018 Draft.
After a smooth first couple of years in pro ball, everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
In 2021, less than a month after ascending to Triple-A Albuquerque, the Rockies’ top pitching prospect underwent an appendectomy. Then, less than a month later, he was struck by a line drive during batting practice, breaking a bone in his left (pitching) hand.
In 2022, the misfortune continued. Rolison began the season on the Injured List with discomfort in his left shoulder, which was ultimately diagnosed as a torn labrum. He missed the entire season after undergoing surgery in June.
In 2023, Rolison made four starts totaling just 11 innings before he again landed on the IL with a strained left shoulder. He later underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left labrum in August.
“You can ask anyone that’s been through the rehab process, it takes you to a dark place,” Rolison said of the injuries. “This was my first time ever being taken away from the game.”
“A lot of anxiety, got depressed, wondering ‘Why me?’ I have to give a lot of credit to the training staff here and my support system – my family and my fiancée – they kept me positive through it all. As cliché as it sounds, I just trusted the process and kept working.”
Finally, Rolison returned to the mound in 2024. Transitioning to the bullpen, he pitched in the Arizona Complex League, High-A Spokane, and Triple-A Albuquerque, tallying 46.1 innings in 29 games.
There was light at the end of the tunnel.
In 2025, Rolison started the season in Albuquerque, pitching 19.1 innings with a 3.72 ERA. Then, at long last, Rolison was called up to the big leagues on May 11.
“It was everything,” Rolison said of the promotion. “We all work our whole life to get to this point. In 2018, if you would’ve told me this is how my path to the big leagues would be, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
So far, Rolison has pitched in 21 games, tossing 29 innings with a 7.45 ERA. It has been an adjustment period, but in a lost 2025 season, the Rockies have the flexibility to endure the growing pains.
Looking ahead, Rolison is pitching with a chip on his shoulder.
“Being taken away from the game, you don’t realize how much you miss it until it’s gone,” Rolison said. “Each time I get to go out there and throw, I’m throwing with a chip on my shoulder and something to prove.”
But Rolison isn’t just happy to be here – he has an agenda, too.
“I wrote down my goals at the beginning of the year. One of those was staying present, another was making my Major League debut, and the other one was establishing myself in the big leagues.”
“Outing after outing, getting more confidence and knowing that I can be successful at this level.”
After years of injuries and perseverance, Rolison is seeking to make a lasting impression in the Colorado bullpen as the Rockies search for answers in the remainder of the season.
Story by Noah Spirek.
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