Rockers make roster moves

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point Rockers continue to evolve as they battle for the Atlantic League’s South Division title for the second half of the season. The Rockers are in second place in the South, 1.5 games behind the Charleston Dirty Birds. The Rockers are contending for an ALPB playoff berth which they can earn by winning the South Division second half title or by earning a wild card berth.

Manager Jamie Keefe has made a number of roster moves in recent days to help the Rockers as they enter the final month of the regular season.

Two faces familiar to Rockers fans returned this week in infielders Michael Martinez and Quincy Nieporte. Martinez was late in his return to the Rockers this year due to a delay in obtaining a visa from his native Dominican Republic. Martinez first joined the Rockers in 2021 and is in High Point for a fourth season. The 41-year-old is a .276 career hitter for the Rockers and came to High Point after a seven-year Major League career in which he appeared in the 2016 World Series with Cleveland.

Nieporte played for the Rockers briefly at the end of the 2021 season before having his contract purchased by the Detroit Tigers. The Florida State alum was the MVP of the Eastern League in 2022 while playing at Erie, Pa. where he hit .270 while leading the league with 31 home runs and 91 RBI. He has twice been named to a season-ending All-Star team. He was the Frontier League MVP in 2021.

Also joining the Rockers on Tuesday is RHP Justin Lewis, a former pitcher at the University of Kentucky who pitched at Class AAA Reno in the Arizona Diamondbacks system in 2022. At Kentucky from 2016-18, Lewis was a Freshman All-American in 2016 and was named SEC Pitcher of the Week in 2018. He was selected to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2017 and 2018 and his 2.08 ERA in 2016 is the second-lowest in Wildcat history.

Another new face to the Rockers rotation is lefty Derrick Adams who joined the team on August 7 and will make his first start tonight. Adams is an Atlantic League veteran, having won 13 games over two seasons with the Charleston Dirty Birds. Adams was 7-9 during the 2022 season and posted a 6-9 mark in 2023. He last pitched in the Caribbean World Series for Puerto Rico earlier this year after spending the regular season with Caguas.

The Rockers put two starting pitchers on the Injured List on Tuesday in Stephen Ridings (blister) and Neil Ramirez (shoulder).

Departing the Rockers is broadcaster Sam Sinder. The Indiana University undergrad spent much of the 2024 season in the Rockers broadcast booth along with Brendan Howe. Sinder will return to his home in New York City and then head to Bloomington, Ind. for the start of his junior year in the coming weeks.