The wait is over for the Rockies’ ace-in-waiting.

Chase Dollander, Colorado’s top prospect who is expected to anchor the rotation for years to come, will make his MLB debut on Sunday at Coors Field against the Athletics.

The right-hander was left off the team’s opening day roster, but after a solid spring training, it was clear he was knocking on the door of his debut. The 2023 No. 9 overall pick out of Tennessee had a dominant ’24 season in which he posted a 2.59 ERA in 23 starts across High-A and Double-A and also pitched in the All-Star Futures Game.

Dollander’s highly anticipated debut is sure to bring a buzz to Sunday’s matinee, even for Hall of Famer Todd Helton.

“I’m actually postponing my flight to watch,” the former Rockies first baseman said. “I’m excited to see him throw. He’s got a bright future. He just dominated last year. Have we ever had a pitcher dominate like that in the minor leagues? I don’t remember one.”

Austin Gomber’s shoulder injury paved the way for Dollander’s debut. Rockies manager Bud Black said Dollander, who has “real stuff,” will have a spot in the rotation going forward, and Sunday will not be a spot start.

The 23-year-old has a well-rounded four-pitch mix. He has a mid-90s fastball that can touch 99 mph, plus an upper-80s slider, an upper-70s curve and an upper-80s changeup that fades on the hitter. His fastball with cut can be dominant as a swing-and-miss pitch and is a primary reason for Dollander’s 12.8 strikeouts-per-nine rate as he fast-tracked through the minors.

“He’s built the right way in a lot of areas,” Black said. “He’s got a good arm, good talent, good head on his shoulders. He does a lot of things right for a young player. Now, it’s just a matter of whether that will translate onto the field.

“I think long-term, he’s going to be a really good pitcher. … He wouldn’t be here unless he checked off a lot of boxes.”

Black said the Rockies “are going to take a step back from (Gomber) throwing for a while,” likely at least a week, as Colorado attempts to get the southpaw’s hurt shoulder on the mend. Gomber was initially scratched from his second Cactus League start on March 2 after having a slight velocity dip in his spring training opener.

Whenever Gomber does return, he’ll need a tune-up in the minors before coming back to the majors. Gomber had a 4.75 ERA in 30 starts in 2024, an up-and-down season that featured one dominant month via a 0.68 ERA in May.

“He tried to ramp up again after we shut him down in spring training, but he just wasn’t quite right,” Black said. “He still feels overall confident that this is a relatively short-term thing. By that, I mean, in two or three weeks, he could be back pitching again.”

Even without Gomber, Dollander is coming into a rotation that’s on a heater to begin 2025. Entering Friday’s home opener, Rockies starters had a 1.35 ERA, the best starting ERA in MLB and also the best through six games in club history. However, that hasn’t translated to wins. Colorado came into Friday’s home opener 1-5 and was the first team to have one or fewer victories through six games despite a starting ERA of 1.35 or lower since the 1919 Boston Braves.

With Gomber’s injury, the Rockies went with a four-man rotation on their opening road trip with Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela, Ryan Feltner and German Marquez.

“We’ve had six really good starts, and I’m proud of those guys,” Black said. “But my message to (Dollander) is, he just needs to be himself. This isn’t anything where he needs to come in and save the day.”