In the wake of trading Ryan McMahon to the New York Yankees, the Colorado Rockies have opened up a hole at third base that will need to be filled through the rest of the season. As a result,  MLB Insider Mike Rodriguez reports that the team will call up Warming Bernabel from Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday.

Bernabel, 23, has quietly had a solid year in Triple-A. In 75 games, he has slashed .301/.356/.450, leading the team in batting average, with eight home runs in 282 at-bats. Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2018, Bernabel was initially selected to the Rockies’ 40-man roster in the 2022 offseason and was often seen as a highly-touted prospect, reaching as high as No. 7 on the Rockies Top 30 per MLB Pipeline.

In 2023, he struggled to a .225/.270/.338 in 83 games with Double-A Hartford, and the Rockies removed him from the 40-man roster during spring training in 2024. The following season, he slashed .263/.296/.359 in Double-A, helping the Yard Goats reach the postseason. This season he has found success at the plate in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League but more importantly, has improved his plate discipline. Bernabel has always had an aggressive approach, leading to fewer walks, while strikeouts didn’t run rampant. That was part of his struggles the last few seasons but he has appeared to find a comfort level in Triple-A.

He has shown steady footwork at both corner infield positions, with third base being more of a natural fit for him. It’s unclear how long he will get to man the position for the Rockie,s but with no immediate answers beyond McMahon, the team is getting the youngster an audition. With newly drafted Ethan Holliday a long way off, top prospect Charlie Condon in Double-A, and Kyle Karros barely in Triple-A, the team can afford to get creative at the hot corner until an answer reveals itself.

Veteran Orlando Arcia is getting the start on Friday, but the roster could shuffle more over the next few days with the anticipated return of Ryan Ritter off the IL and the ramifications of the Trade Deadline that could see some of the veterans removed from the roster.