Montero cleared waivers Thursday and was sent outright to Triple-A Albuquerque.
Montero was DFA'd by the Rockies on Sunday after slashing .205/.267/.304 over 247 plate appearances, but he'll officially remain in the organization after passing through waivers unclaimed. Until the 25-year-old is able to turn things around at the plate, he'll serve as organizational depth in the minor leagues.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Cast off 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Rockies designated Montero for assignment Sunday.
After popping 11 home runs in 307 plate appearances with the Rockies in 2023 and securing an everyday role coming out of camp this spring, Montero looked to be an attractive late-round target in drafts. Unfortunately for his fantasy managers, Montero quickly fell out of favor, and he didn't show any signs of improvements after regaining playing time once injuries began to pile up for the Rockies. Even with Kris Bryant (oblique) still stuck on the 10-day injured list, the Rockies didn't have room for Montero as a backup option at first base or designated hitter with the team needing to clear a spot for catcher Elias Diaz's (calf) return from the IL. The 25-year-old Montero, who had posted a .474 OPS in June and a .205/.267/.304 slash line over 247 plate appearances on the season, has no minor-league options remaining, so he would need to be carried on the 26-man active roster if another team trades for him or claims him off waivers.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Playing time dwindling
Rotowire
Montero is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game in Houston.
Montero is out of the lineup for a fourth straight game, though he did make one pinch-hitting appearance over that stretch. The recent emergence of Michael Toglia and Hunter Goodman has put the squeeze on Montero's playing time, and his .581 OPS on the season hasn't helped, either.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Clubs fourth homer
Rotowire
Montero went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 11-9 loss to the Dodgers.
Montero has an extra-base hit and at least one RBI in each of his last three games. He began Tuesday's game on the bench but entered early after Charlie Blackmon (hamstring) exited the contest. Montero is at a middling .209/.274/.313 slash line with four homers, 27 RBI, 22 runs scored and 10 doubles over 62 contests this season, though he's hit just .167 (8-for-48) in June. If Blackmon misses additional time, that may allow Montero to be in the lineup more often, as his playing time has started to slip.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Late addition to lineup
Rotowire
Montero will play first base and bat cleanup Saturday against Pittsburgh, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.
Brenton Doyle (knee) was scratched from the lineup Saturday, and as a result Jake Cave will move to center field as Michael Toglia moves to right, opening up first base for Montero. Montero has just two hits in his last 23 at-bats and owns a .546 OPS on the year.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Serving as DH on Friday
Rotowire
Montero is starting as the designated hitter and batting eighth for Friday's game against the Pirates.
Montero was initially slated to begin Friday's game on the bench, but he was inserted into the starting lineup after Jake Cave (undisclosed) was hit in the head by a line drive during batting practice. Montero will face off against Pirates opener Carmen Mlodzinski.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Heading to bench Sunday
Rotowire
Montero is out of the lineup for Sunday's game at St. Louis, Luke Zahlmann of The Denver Gazette reports.
Montero started the previous six games but will take a seat Sunday after going 3-for-23 with nine strikeouts during that span. Michael Toglia will start at first base and bat seventh in the series finale versus the Cardinals.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Taking seat Sunday
Rotowire
Montero is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Luke Zahlmann of The Denver Gazette reports.
Montero started the previous six games but will head to the bench Sunday after batting .167 during that span. Kris Bryant will shift to first base while Brendan Rodgers serves as the designated hitter and Alan Trejo starts at second base.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Sitting in second straight
Rotowire
Montero is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Athletics.
Kris Bryant will make a second straight start at first base since his return from the injured list Tuesday, with Montero hitting the bench for both contests. The 25-year-old could still see regular playing time against left-handed pitching, but Montero looks like he'll be the odd man out of the lineup versus righties for now. Despite seeing everyday playing time for most of the season, Montero has disappointed with an underwhelming .582 OPS through 153 plate appearances.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Sitting in second straight game
Rotowire
Montero is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.
Montero's grasp on the everyday role at first base seems to be slipping, as he finds himself on the bench for the second day in a row. Hunter Goodman -- who went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Saturday's 8-3 win -- will draw another start at first base at Montero's expense. Montero has gone 5-for-31 with one extra-base hit (a double) and a 31.3 percent strikeout rate over his last nine games.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Sitting Wednesday
Rotowire
Montero is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.
Montero will exit the starting nine for the first time since April 21, when he sat out the front end of a doubleheader with the Mariners. His move to the bench comes while he's fallen into a 3-for-23 slump at the dish over his last six games, though the Rockies haven't signaled that Montero's standing atop the depth chart at first base is in any jeopardy.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Reaches base four times
Rotowire
Montero went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Padres.
Montero tallied his first three-hit game of the season and his second multi-hit effort over a three-game span. His second-inning double was his first extra-base hit since April 12 and he also kickstarted a five-run fourth inning with a leadoff single and later walked with the bases loaded in the same frame. The 25-year-old is now slashing .242/.288/.273 with four RBI, three runs and a 5:11 BB:K in 73 plate appearances.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Improved K%, but slow start
Rotowire
Montero is slashing .205/.265/.227 with zero home runs, two runs and two RBI through 13 games.
He has been playing regularly at first base and his 16.3 percent strikeout rate is a massive improvement over the 36.2 percent strikeout rate he logged in 85 games last year. It looks like his plate skills may have improved, but he may need to start producing soon in order to hold onto his starting role.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Not in lineup Tuesday
Rotowire
Montero is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks.
After sitting out Sunday against the Rays, Montero rejoined the starting lineup at first base for the series opener Monday, when he finished 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly. He's had a slow start to the season, slashing .160/.241/.160 with one RBI and no extra-base hits over 29 plate appearances. Kris Bryant will start at first base Tuesday and hit fifth against Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Bows out of lineup
Rotowire
Montero is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.
Montero will move to the bench for the series finale after going 2-for-8 between Friday's 10-7 win and Saturday's 8-6 loss. After sitting out Saturday while battling back tightness, Kris Bryant will make his return to the lineup Sunday in Montero's usual spot at designated hitter.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Sits in second straight game
Rotowire
Montero is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs, Luke Zahlmann of The Denver Gazette reports.
Montero started the Rockies' first five games of the season but slashed just .143/.294/.143 with three walks and three strikeouts over those contests. He's on the bench Wednesday for the second day in a row and looks to be in danger of falling into a part-time role in the wake of his poor start to the season.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Everyday player so far
Rotowire
Montero will serve as the Rockies' designated hitter and No. 8 batter in Monday's game against the Cubs, Luke Zahlmann of The Denver Gazette reports.
Montero has now started each of the Rockies' first five games of the season, with three starts coming at DH and two at first base. Charlie Blackmon has been playing more right field than expected early on and Kris Bryant not being confined to first base has allowed Montero everyday at-bats thus far. He has just two hits, but a 3:3 K:BB is encouraging for a player who drew just 15 walks all of last season.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: May get looks at DH
Rotowire
Montero may be forcing his way into the lineup with his performance this spring, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
Montero is projected to be on the Opening Day roster, though his fit in the starting lineup is unclear. He'd likely gain at-bats at designated hitter due to his defensive deficiencies, which would in turn push Charlie Blackmon to the outfield while endangering Sean Bouchard's playing time. Montero has displayed a familiar profile this spring, as he's posted an impressive .333 ISO but is still striking out at a 27 percent clip.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Making case for playing time
Rotowire
Montero started at first base and went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Cubs, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
Montero has shown intriguing power throughout his minor-league career and has flashed potential across 492 big-league plate appearances. He's gotten off to a strong start this spring, ripping two home runs across 13 plate appearances while striking out only twice. Montero likely has an advantage in the competition for a bench spot on the roster because he is out of minor-league options, though he could also push for at-bats at either first base or designated hitter if he continues to show well this spring.
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Rockies' Elehuris Montero: Smacks homer in three-hit game
Rotowire
Montero went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, a double, a walk and four total runs scored in Thursday's 14-5 win over the Dodgers.
This was arguably Montero's base game of the year from a fantasy perspective. He's logged six three-hit efforts, four of which have come since Aug. 15. The infielder is at a .247/.294/.417 slash line with nine homers, 37 RBI, 37 runs scored, 15 doubles and no stolen bases through 82 contests overall.
