Braxton Fulford, a catcher for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, received news of his promotion to Major League Baseball while spending his day off in Albuquerque. Manager Pedro Lopez initially played a prank on Fulford, suggesting police were at his house before revealing that Fulford was being called up to join the Colorado Rockies in Los Angeles.
Fulford described the experience as emotional and shared how much his parents supported him throughout his baseball journey. "They’ve done a whole lot for me," Fulford said about his parents. "... Those two really sacrificed a lot for me to be able to play this game." He added that their reaction to the news was one of elation: "Elated," he recalled of their reactions. "We all were. Got a little emotional and just enjoyed the moment."
His family made arrangements to travel from Texas and arrived in Los Angeles in time for Tuesday's game at Dodger Stadium, where they met after the game despite Fulford not yet making his debut. "Mom shed some tears," Fulford said. "But I haven’t made the debut yet, so I’m sure she’ll shed some more."
Rockies manager Bud Black confirmed that Fulford would make his MLB debut in the series finale against the Dodgers. Reflecting on starting his career at Dodger Stadium, Fulford said, "It’s a historic ballpark," adding, "We’re going to be playing them a lot. I’d love to put it to ‘em, stick it to ‘em on my debut. A lot of people show out here. I think it’d be a great place to play. A lot of good players to play against, too."
The Rockies have struggled in their current series against the Dodgers, having been outscored 11-5 over two games with starters Antonio Senzatela and Ryan Feltner giving up nine earned runs combined before finishing five innings in either outing.
Despite these challenges, Fulford expressed confidence in contributing both defensively and offensively: "I’m hoping I can command the pitching staff. Get us through this lineup," he said. "It’s a tough lineup, but our guys are more than capable of sitting them down.
"And then on top of that, just producing offensively. Scoring runs. Driving runners in. Just all around, want to help the team win."
The call-up marks another transition from minor league affiliates such as Fresno Grizzlies and Hartford Yard Goats within the Rockies organization system (https://www.milb.com/rockies/news), reflecting ongoing development efforts across levels.
