Sterlin Thompson celebrates his walk-off home run vs. Florida State with Tucker Talbott (left) and Josh Rivera (right) on May 17, 2022 at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Fla. / UAA Communications photo by Jashari Blige
Thompson Recalled to MLB by Colorado Rockies
Saturday, May 16, 2026 | Baseball
Sterlin Thompson will be the 91st Gator to play MLB including Florida’s nation-leading 43rd since 2008.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Gators have now seen two former stars earn promotions to Major League Baseball in the last calendar week, as the Colorado Rockies recalled outfielder Sterlin Thompson from Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday afternoon.
When Thompson debuts with Colorado, he will mark Florida's nation-leading 43rd MLB debut since 2008. In total, the former Florida slugger will be the 91st Gator to play in the MLB including the 39th coached by Kevin O'Sullivan. Thompson is the second former UF player to earn his MLB promotion during the 2026 season alongside right-handed pitcher Franco Aleman, who debuted with the Cleveland Guardians on May 10.
Suiting up in Orange & Blue from 2021-22, Thompson was a first-round pick by Colorado as the 31st overall selection in the 2022 MLB Draft. Across parts of five seasons in the Minor Leagues, Thompson batted .284/.373/.462 with 51 home runs, 14 triples, 83 doubles, 245 runs, 216 RBI and 52 stolen bases.
Playing each of the last two campaigns at the Triple-A level, Thompson posted a .911 OPS in 2025 before getting off to a .344/.491/.496 start with four homers, five doubles and eight steals in his first 36 games of the 2026 season. As a result, the Citra, Fla. native was the No. 15 prospect in Colorado's organization at the time of his MLB promotion.
During his two years at Florida, Thompson played in 121 games highlighted by 117 starts. He totaled 16 home runs, five triples, 26 doubles, 98 runs, 78 RBI and 12 steals while hitting .332/.443/.563 across 437 at bats. In his sophomore 2022 campaign, he recorded a .354 batting average and 11 home runs – one of which walked off Florida State on May 17 to claim the season series.
Thompson and the Rockies opened a three-game home series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Although Thompson did not appear in the series opener, he will look to make his big-league debut at some point during the set.
Below is a complete list of Gators to debut in the MLB since 2008.
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When Thompson debuts with Colorado, he will mark Florida's nation-leading 43rd MLB debut since 2008. In total, the former Florida slugger will be the 91st Gator to play in the MLB including the 39th coached by Kevin O'Sullivan. Thompson is the second former UF player to earn his MLB promotion during the 2026 season alongside right-handed pitcher Franco Aleman, who debuted with the Cleveland Guardians on May 10.
Suiting up in Orange & Blue from 2021-22, Thompson was a first-round pick by Colorado as the 31st overall selection in the 2022 MLB Draft. Across parts of five seasons in the Minor Leagues, Thompson batted .284/.373/.462 with 51 home runs, 14 triples, 83 doubles, 245 runs, 216 RBI and 52 stolen bases.
Playing each of the last two campaigns at the Triple-A level, Thompson posted a .911 OPS in 2025 before getting off to a .344/.491/.496 start with four homers, five doubles and eight steals in his first 36 games of the 2026 season. As a result, the Citra, Fla. native was the No. 15 prospect in Colorado's organization at the time of his MLB promotion.
During his two years at Florida, Thompson played in 121 games highlighted by 117 starts. He totaled 16 home runs, five triples, 26 doubles, 98 runs, 78 RBI and 12 steals while hitting .332/.443/.563 across 437 at bats. In his sophomore 2022 campaign, he recorded a .354 batting average and 11 home runs – one of which walked off Florida State on May 17 to claim the season series.
Thompson and the Rockies opened a three-game home series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. Although Thompson did not appear in the series opener, he will look to make his big-league debut at some point during the set.
Below is a complete list of Gators to debut in the MLB since 2008.
| Florida's Nation-Leading 43 MLB Debuts Since 2008 | ||||
| Player | Drafted (Round) | MLB Debut | Team | |
| 1 | Darren O'Day | Undrafted | March 31, 2008 | Los Angeles Angels |
| 2 | Matt LaPorta | 2007 (1st - 7th overall) | May 3, 2009 | Cleveland Indians |
| 3 | Bryan Augenstein | 2007 (7th) | May 13, 2009 | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 4 | Ryan Sadowski | 2003 (12th) | June 28, 2009 | San Francisco Giants |
| 5 | Nick Maronde | 2011 (3rd) | September 2, 2012 | Los Angeles Angels |
| 6 | Paco Rodriguez | 2012 (2nd) | September 9, 2012 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 7 | Mike Zunino | 2012 (1st - 3rd overall) | June 12, 2013 | Seattle Mariners |
| 8 | Kevin Chapman | 2010 (4th) | August 9, 2013 | Houston Astros |
| 9 | Matt den Dekker | 2010 (5th) | August 29, 2013 | New York Mets |
| 10 | Anthony DeSclafani | 2011 (6th) | May 14, 2014 | Miami Marlins |
| 11 | Cole Figueroa | 2008 (6th) | May 16, 2014 | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 12 | Preston Tucker | 2012 (7th) | May 7, 2015 | Houston Astros |
| 13 | Brian Johnson | 2012 (1st - 31st overall) | July 21, 2015 | Boston Red Sox |
| 14 | Nolan Fontana | 2012 (2nd) | May 22, 2017 | Los Angeles Angels |
| 15 | Austin Maddox | 2012 (3rd) | June 17, 2017 | Boston Red Sox |
| 16 | Harrison Bader | 2015 (3rd) | July 25, 2017 | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 17 | Bobby Poyner | 2015 (14th) | March 31, 2018 | Boston Red Sox |
| 18 | Justin Shafer | 2014 (8th) | August 19, 2018 | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 19 | Eric Hanhold | 2015 (6th) | September 4, 2018 | New York Mets |
| 20 | Richie Martin | 2015 (1st - 20th overall) | March 28, 2019 | Baltimore Orioles |
| 21 | Pete Alonso | 2016 (2nd) | March 28, 2019 | New York Mets |
| 22 | Shaun Anderson | 2016 (3rd) | May 15, 2019 | San Francisco Giants |
| 23 | A.J. Puk | 2016 (1st - 6th overall) | August 21, 2019 | Oakland Athletics |
| 24 | Brady Singer | 2018 (1st - 18th overall) | July 25, 2020 | Kansas City Royals |
| 25 | Dane Dunning | 2016 (1st - 29th overall) | August 19, 2020 | Chicago White Sox |
| 26 | Jonathan India | 2018 (1st - 5th overall) | Thursday, April 1, 2021 | Cincinnati Reds |
| 27 | Jackson Kowar | 2018 (1st - 33rd overall) | Monday, June 7, 2021 | Kansas City Royals |
| 28 | Taylor Gushue | 2014 (4th) | Wednesday, June 30, 2021 | Chicago Cubs |
| 29 | Kirby Snead | 2016 (10th) | Wednesday, July 28, 2021 | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 30 | Mark Kolozsvary | 2017 (7th) | Wednesday, April 20, 2022 | Cincinnati Reds |
| 31 | Alex Faedo | 2017 (1st - 18th overall) | Wednesday, May 4, 2022 | Detroit Tigers |
| 32 | Danny Young | 2015 (8th) | Monday, May 9, 2022 | Seattle Mariners |
| 33 | Dalton Guthrie | 2017 (6th) | Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 34 | Jacob Young | 2021 (7th) | Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023 | Washington Nationals |
| 35 | Wyatt Langford | 2023 (1st - 4th overall) | Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024 | Texas Rangers |
| 36 | Christian Scott | 2021 (5th) | Saturday, May. 4, 2024 | New York Mets |
| 37 | Hurston Waldrep | 2023 (1st - 24th overall) | Sunday, June 9, 2024 | Atlanta Braves |
| 38 | Jac Caglianone | 2024 (1st - 6th overall) | Tuesday, June 3, 2025 | Kansas City Royals |
| 39 | Brandon Sproat | 2023 (2nd) | Sunday, September 7, 2025 | New York Mets |
| 40 | Philip Abner | 2023 (6th) | Friday, September 19, 2025 | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 41 | Hunter Barco | 2022 (2nd) | Tuesday, September 23, 2025 | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 42 | Franco Aleman | 2021 (10th) | Sunday, May 10, 2026 | Cleveland Guardians |
| 43 | Sterlin Thompson | 2022 (1st - 31st overall) | TBD | Colorado Rockies |
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