Ryan Rolison thought 2021 was his year.

The Rockies’ top pitching prospect felt better than ever, and, if everything went as planned, anticipated he would be ready for his major league debut by the end of the season.

Then life got in the way. And it hasn’t stopped.

A ruptured appendix sidelined him for the first part of the season. He had to take baby steps — going from not being able to walk for a few weeks to working his way up to jogging and throwing again. As he was on his way back, he had another setback: he fractured his hand shagging balls during batting practice. He was out once again, and only had time to make 10 Triple-A starts last year.

“It was just a frustrating year,” he said. “Those are two injuries that I can’t control.”

Now, he’s hit another roadblock: Rolison has a left shoulder strain and will miss at least the first 60 days of the season. He received two anti-inflammatory shots and will be shut down for at least two weeks, then will have to begin the rehabbing and ramping up process all over again.

Rolison spent last season in Albuquerque with the team as he recovered. He had to find ways to keep himself mentally in the game, and to entertain himself. Rolison said he’s unable to sit still, so was constantly finding things to keep himself busy.

After the season ended, Rolison headed to the Dominican Republic to play winter ball for Tigres de Licey. He went to pick up the innings he missed during the regular season. He came home with a more worldly view of the game.

Rolison learned from his teammates, who taught him the culture and the language. He got to experience the love the city has for the baseball, taking in the sold-out crowds with screaming fans and live trumpet bands. He spent five weeks, the first half of their season, with them.

“The atmosphere was awesome,” Rolison said. “Just being able to pitch in that environment, get some adrenaline and pitch in those games was really fun.”

He returned to the U.S. for spring training, but something wasn’t right. He gave up seven runs in 3.1 innings pitched, and his velocity and pitches were all off.

When he’s healthy, he’ll likely start his season in Triple-A again. Rolison is hoping once he gets a few solid months of consistent starts under his belt, he’ll finally get the call to the major leagues.

“Every single day you are working towards getting to the big leagues,” he said. “I feel like I’m more mentally prepared than ever.”