The Colorado Rockies are getting the highs and lows from Zac Veen in rapid succession.
After placing right fielder Tyler Freeman on the 10-day Injured List on Aug. 10 due to lumbar pain, the Colorado Rockies chose to recall Zac Veen from Triple-A Albuquerque. So far, it has produced a roller coaster of results.
Veen has appeared in three games since being called up, and in that span he has taken nine at-bats and registered two hits, both of which have been home runs. He has as many strikeouts (four) as he does RBIs, and he has drawn one walk.
The extra details
Those statistics unfold wildly across other metrics, too. For example, heading into Sunday's series finale against the San Francisco Giants, Veen only has a .222 batting average and a .300 on-base percentage, but he has an .889 slugging percentage and a 1.189 OPS.
So far, the 24-year-old has embodied the highs and lows of what a young player brings to the plate, all in a minute sample size. After making his debut on April 8, 2025, Veen has only appeared in 15 Major League Baseball games, and his results in 2025 were a reflection of how rookies struggle and go through the motions in the batters box.
In 12 games last season, Veen logged 34 at-bats and had four hits and 14 strikeouts, which translated to a lowly .118 batting average, a .189 on-base percentage, a .235 slugging percentage and a .424 OPS.
Overall, Veen has a career slash line of .140/.213/.372 with a .585 OPS. Now, despite two home runs, could it only be lightning in a bottle for him?
The Triple-A numbers
Precedent suggests that might be the case, and Veen did go 0-for-3 in Saturday’s 7-1 loss to the Giants, with two strikeouts. However, his Triple-A stats tell a different story.
Through 100 games with Triple-A Albuquerque, Veen has been crushing. In 392 at-bats, he has a .327 batting average, a .402 on-base percentage, a .635 slugging percentage and a 1.037 OPS.
Granted, hitting in the majors is a different beast, but Veen has demonstrated his potential. His 24 home runs are tied with James Tibbs for the second-most in the Pacific Coast League, and his 87 RBIs are third.
Moreover, Veen leads both the Pacific Coast League and the International League in OPS. The point is, the kid can hit, and through nine games at the MLB level, he has demonstrated flashes. The big question is, can he do it consistently?
By many metrics, the Rockies have a solid offense, and if Veen can put it all together, he can become a key contributor in the near future.
