3 Mike Tauchman RF

Tauchman is a late addition to the Rockies' lineup Tuesday and will bat eighth against the Padres, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reports.

With Charlie Blackmon getting scratched with right quadriceps tightness, Tauchman will get the start in center and hit in the bottom third of the order. Tauchman is hitless in eight at-bats this season but it's been difficult for him to find a rhythm considering he's mostly been used as a pinch hitter. He'll face off against a lefty with an unconventional delivery Tuesday with Joey Lucchesi on the bump for the Padres.

Tauchman is hitless in four pinch-hit opportunities this season.

The 27-year-old cracked the Opening Day roster as a reserve outfielder, but he has nothing to show for it so far. Tauchman will be relegated to pinch-hitting duties for much of the season since Gerardo Parra, Carlos Gonzalez and Charlie Blackmon are all ahead of him on the depth chart. Even if one of those players get injured, David Dahl or Raimel Tapia would likely get called up for regular playing time before Tauchman would slot in as a regular.

Tauchman appears likely to earn a spot on the Rockies' Opening Day roster if manager Bud Black elects to keep five outfielders, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Tauchman's chances of breaking camp with the big club appeared to take a hit when Carlos Gonzalez re-signed with Colorado on March 9, but Tauchman has kept hope alive by continuing to stand out in the Cactus League. In addition to playing quality defense, the lefty-hitting Tauchman has gone 17-for-50 at the dish (.340 average) while putting his speed on display with three stolen bases. The 27-year-old's performance is likely enough to garner him the edge over David Dahl, Noel Cuevas and Jordan Patterson for the No. 5 outfield job behind Charlie Blackmon, Gonzalez, Gerardo Parra and Raimel Tapia.

Tauchman's chances of cracking the Opening Day roster decreased following the Rockies' acquisition of Carlos Gonzalez, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Tauchman was initially in the mix for a starting gig with a few other Rockies prospects and Gerardo Parra, but the addition of Gonzalez likely leaves Tauchman in a fight for a fifth outfielder role. The 27-year-old is having a good spring, batting .293 with a homer and five RBI in 41 at-bats. Tauchman also has a selling point of a unique power/speed combo (16 homers and steals at Triple-A last season), but he also has two options remaining and lacks the prospect pedigree of fellow competitors David Dahl and Raimel Tapia.

Tauchman is in the running to be a backup outfielder for the Rockies to start the season, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old demolished Triple-A pitching last season to the tune of a .941 OPS. He struggled a bit against major-league pitching, but his intriguing power/speed combo give him a decent shot to crack the Opening Day roster. The biggest hurdle will be overcoming the other competitors for the job, as David Dahl and Raimel Tapia offer similar skills with more pedigree and upside. An injury could make these facts a moot point, but Tauchman certainly has the skillset and the results to spend some time in the big leagues at some point during 2018 even if he isn't there on Opening Day.