A reliever who once ranked among the American League's elite closers is attempting to reclaim that form in Colorado, reunited with the coach who helped him get there in the first place.

Jordan Romano and Matt Buschmann previously worked together in Toronto, where Romano served as the All-Star closer for the Blue Jays and Buschmann was the team's bullpen coach and director of pitching development. Romano finished that peak season with a 2.11 ERA and the first of consecutive seasons with 36 saves.

The partnership did not last. Buschmann left the Blue Jays organization in January before the 2023 campaign, while Romano stayed behind to put together another All-Star season, with his ERA rising slightly to 2.90. After Buschmann's departure, Romano later reflected on what the relationship had meant to his consistency. "We worked really well together. He always helped keep me on track," Romano said of Buschmann. "Without him, I got a little bit too far off track. He was really good about every couple of weeks going over the outings with me."

Romano's career trajectory took a sharp downward turn in the seasons that followed. He pitched in only 15 games in 2024, battling right elbow issues, a condition that eventually forced him to undergo surgery. Faced with the business decision of paying an estimated $7.75 million to keep him for 2025, the Blue Jays non-tendered him and his 105 career saves with the organization. A 2025 season spent in Philadelphia was disastrous, as Romano's ERA ballooned to 8.23 in 42.2 innings. He opted for free agency and started this season with the Los Angeles Angels, but after posting a 10.13 ERA in 8.0 innings, the Angels released him on April 27.

Nine days after the Angels' release, Romano was reunited with Buschmann, now serving as Colorado's bullpen coach, as the Rockies signed him to a minor league deal. Right after signing, Romano was sent to Scottsdale to work in Colorado's pitching lab. After some analysis and suggestions, he pitched in one Arizona Complex League game before being sent to Triple-A in early June. On July 4, he was back in the big leagues, serving as a late-inning option for the Rockies.

The early returns in Colorado have been encouraging. In his first 5.2 innings with the Rockies, Romano's ERA stood at 1.59 with three saves, including a two-strikeout inning to finish off a recent 8-7 win over Washington. Buschmann credited the physical recovery as the foundation of the turnaround. "I think he never found what he felt back in Toronto when he was locked in," Buschmann said. "I think part of that is dealing with injuries. It's usually longer than we want, but I do think he finally has his strength back to preinjury levels. That means he is able to access a lot of the delivery things he was doing back then."

One element remains unresolved. Romano acknowledged that his velocity has not returned to expected levels. "I'm still trying to figure that out," he said. "I'm trying to gain a couple of ticks on the velocity because when that happens, the slider plays better and everything plays better." Buschmann agreed that recovering enough fastball velocity to complement Romano's slider will be a key factor going forward.

Whether Romano can fully recapture All-Star form, and whether his velocity continues to rebound, will be the measure to watch as the Rockies navigate the second half of the season.