The Rockies are about to get a better read on Scott Beerer, who returned to their farm system as a position player this year and overmatched pitchers during a brief stay in the short-season Class A Northwest League.

Beerer, who turned 27 on July 4, was promoted to high Class A Modesto on Thursday. He was in the Nuts’ lineup Friday night batting fifth as the designated hitter and went 1-for-2 with a triple, a walk and a run scored in the Nuts’ 2-0 win against High Desert.

In 11 games with Tri-City, Beerer, whose best position is left field, hit .558 (24-for-43) with five doubles, one triple, one homer and 14 RBI. In addition to a .587 on-base percentage, Beerer’s slugging percentage was .791.

Beerer began his professional career as a pitcher in 2003 after the Rockies drafted him in the second round that year out of Texas A&M. He pitched in relief and spent the 2006 season at Modesto, going 3-1 with a 3.81 ERA in 28 games with 11 saves. He worked out the following spring with Double-A Tulsa but upon being sent back to Modesto to begin the season, Beerer, then interested in trying to make it as a position player, left the organization when the Rockies wouldn’t grant him his release.

Beerer, who is from Anaheim, Calif., returned to southern California. He was out of baseball for two years but contacted player development director Marc Gustafson, who had scout Dave Snow watch Beerer work out, after which Beerer was invited to spring training. He then participated in the Rockies extended spring training program before being assigned to Tri-City.

Tri-City also bid farewell to first baseman Mike Zuanich, who turned 23 on Friday and was promoted to low Class A Asheville. Zuanich hit .340 (16-for-47) in 15 games for the Dust Devils with seven homers and 16 RBI, a .476 on-base percentage and .809 slugging percentage.

The Rockies drafted Zuanich in the 28th round last year out of UC-Santa Barbara (the same school that produced Ryan Spilborghs), but the left-handed hitting Zuanich hit .180 (15-for-81) at Rookie Casper with no homers and eight RBI

Left-hander Rex Brothers and first baseman Ben Paulsen will fill the Tri-City roster spots held by Beerer and Zuanich. Brothers was drafted 34th overall this year, a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds out of Lipscomb University, and Paulsen was the Rockies third-round pick out of Clemson.