Colorado Rockies rookie outfielder Cole Carrigg is sitting out a couple of games after he extended his middle finger toward Atlanta Braves fans during Saturday's loss at Truist Park, a gesture manager Warren Schaeffer says the team will not tolerate even as Carrigg was still used as a pinch hitter later in the same game.
A Frustrating Seventh Inning Boils Over
The moment came in the seventh inning after Carrigg dove for a ball hit by Michael Harris II, a play that ended up scoring two runs and helping put Atlanta ahead 2-1, according to The New York Times. Mickey Moniak had singled with two outs earlier in the frame before Harris's hit turned the game in Atlanta's favor. Shortly after getting up from the dive, Carrigg extended his middle finger toward the crowd at Truist Park, the outlet reports.
The defensive sequence that preceded the gesture involved more than just Carrigg's diving attempt. On the play that ultimately decided the game, left fielder Jordan Beck threw the ball to second base instead of hitting cutoff man Ezequiel Tovar, which let Atlanta's Mauricio Dubón score the winning run unassisted, per Denver Sports. Colorado lost 2-1, its 10th defeat in 12 games, and the loss dropped the club to a 52-84 record on the season, the same site notes.
Schaeffer Benches Him, Then Sends Him Up To Pinch Hit
Despite the gesture, Carrigg remained in the game as Colorado's center fielder before later being used as a pinch hitter for Troy Johnson, where he struck out swinging, according to the Times' report. Schaeffer told reporters Carrigg made a mistake and must learn from it, adding that the Rockies will not put up with such behavior, per the same account. The manager said Carrigg would sit out a couple of days as a result.
Carrigg himself called the gesture inexcusable and apologized to his teammates and the organization, the newspaper reports. He also told reporters he plays at 110 percent every game and gives his all to the team and the game, a comment the Times included alongside his apology. The Rockies were trying to avoid being swept by Atlanta in the series, and Braves starter Tyler Mahle had been replaced by Dylan Dodd during the contest, per the outlet's account.
A Fast Rise Through Colorado's System
Carrigg made his major league debut on June 9 against the Chicago Cubs, becoming just the second player in Rockies franchise history to record a triple for his first career hit, according to MLB.com. He was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque after utility player Tyler Freeman went on the concussion injured list. Before the promotion, Carrigg had posted a .338/.414/.529 line with 30 stolen bases in 57 games at Albuquerque, part of a career minor league total of 112 stolen bases, per MLB Trade Rumors. He had been ranked as high as the No. 4 prospect in Colorado's system by Baseball America at the time of his call-up.
The Rockies drafted Carrigg in the second round, 65th overall, in 2023 out of San Diego State University, signing him for a $1.3 million bonus slightly above the slot value of $1,287,600, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. He showed unusual versatility in college, playing seven different positions at San Diego State including center field, shortstop, catcher, third base, second base, left field, and pitcher, per Baseball America. He also played catcher early in his professional career before settling into outfield and shortstop.
Since debuting, Carrigg has batted .263 with six home runs and eight stolen bases across 67 major-league games, hitting .263/.345/.444 with a .789 OPS that ranks fifth among qualified rookies, per the Times' report. His sprint speed of 28.7 mph sits in the 86th percentile among major leaguers. In August alone he hit nine doubles, ranking fifth-most in the majors for the month and making him one of 12 rookies in Rockies history to reach that mark, the newspaper notes. That same report adds that Carrigg was known for his temper in the minor leagues and had been ejected in the past.
League Precedent For Fan-Directed Gestures
It remains an open question whether Major League Baseball will impose additional discipline beyond Schaeffer's internal benching. The league has previously fined and suspended players for similar conduct: in June 2017, the Dodgers' Yasiel Puig was suspended one game and fined for flashing middle fingers to fans in Cleveland, according to the Los Angeles Times; Puig appealed, saying it was an emotional response to heckling. More recently, in April 2025, MLB fined outfielder Tommy Pham $10,000 for an obscene gesture toward a spectator in Anaheim, per footage shared via Made The Cut. Decades earlier, in July 1995, Yankees pitcher Jack McDowell was fined $5,000 by his team and ordered by American League President Gene Budig to buy tickets for community agencies after gesturing at booing home fans, the Los Angeles Times reported at the time.
Colorado's trip to Atlanta came during the tail end of a rough stretch for the franchise, which entered the weekend having lost 10 of its last 12 games. The series also fell during Atlanta's final homestand of the year at Truist Park, where the concessions program, run in partnership with Delaware North through 2036, rolled out an elk burger topped with smoked cherry cheese, caramelized onions and huckleberry barbecue sauce for Colorado's visit, as Hoodline previously reported. The two clubs had also met in Denver back on May 3, when Atlanta routed Colorado 9-1 in a game that saw Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. exit early with left hamstring tightness, part of a season series Atlanta went on to control.
