Rockies director of player development Chris Forbes said in an interview on MLB Network Radio on Thursday that Veen (hand) could play winter ball this offseason, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
Veen was limited to just 202 plate appearances this season with Double-A Hartford before undergoing surgery last month to repair tearing and fraying to a ligament in his left hand. It sounds like he should be fully recovered by the fall and getting in some at-bats in winter ball would allow him to make up for lost time. The Rockies don't have to add Veen to their 40-man roster until after the 2024 season to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.
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Rockies' Zac Veen: Shifts to 60-day IL
Rotowire
Double-A Hartford transferred Veen (hand) from its 7-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Saturday.
Veen's move to the 60-day IL was merely a formality after he underwent season-ending surgery in June to repair tearing and fraying to a ligament in his left hand. Before being shut down for the campaign, the 21-year-old outfielder had gotten off to a slow start at Hartford, slashing .209/.303/.308 with 11 extra-base hits and 22 stolen bases in 201 plate appearances. He'll look to return to full health for spring training and will presumably open the 2023 season back in Hartford.
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Rockies' Zac Veen: Campaign ended by hand injury
Rotowire
Veen underwent surgery to repair tearing and fraying to a ligament in his left hand on Thursday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
Veen has been dealing with the injury for almost a calendar year, though he was playing through the issue in an effort to reach the majors in 2023. That's now out of the question as his campaign is over, though the injury provides context as to why he was able to hit only .209/.303/.308 across 201 plate appearances at Double-A Hartford. Assuming he returns to health as expected, Veen has a realistic chance to reach the majors in 2024.
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Rockies' Zac Veen: Back in action at Double-A
Rotowire
Veen (wrist) has gone 5-for-12 with a triple, three doubles, seven RBI, three runs and a stolen base in three games since Double-A Hartford reinstated him from its 7-day injured list Thursday.
Veen was shelved April 28 due to left wrist inflammation, but he hasn't shown any sign of diminished power as a result of the injury since he was activated Thursday. The 21-year-old outfielder remains one of the more exciting prospects in the Colorado farm system and is slashing .210/.310/.371 with six extra-base hits and seven stolen bases through his first 71 plate appearances on the season with Hartford.
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Rockies' Zac Veen: Placed on minor-league IL
Rotowire
Veen was placed on the injured list Tuesday at Double-A Hartford with left wrist inflammation, Danielle Allentuck of The Denver Gazette reports.
It's not believed to be a serious issue, but the Rockies will give their top prospect a breather to allow the inflammation to dissipate. He's off to a rough start this season at the Double-A level, slashing just .160/.276/.260 with one home run through 58 plate appearances. Granted, the 21-year-old outfielder has stolen six bases in six attempts.
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Rockies' Zac Veen: Reassigned to minors camp
Rotowire
Veen was reassigned Tuesday to the minor-league side of Rockies camp.
Veen drew a lot of playing time in the Cactus League this spring and posted some encouraging numbers -- including eight stolen bases in nine attempts -- but the 21-year-old outfielder was never really in the running for an Opening Day roster spot. Colorado selected him as the No. 9 overall pick in 2020 and he finished the 2022 season with a .496 OPS in 34 games at Double-A Hartford.
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Rockies' Zac Veen: Debut in 2023 possible
Rotowire
Veen could make his big-league debut in the second half of the 2023 season, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
Veen closed the 2022 season in Double-A Hartford, and he's likely to start the 2023 campaign at the same level. However, he has drawn positive reviews from the organization after putting on muscle during the offseason and showing an improved swing in the Arizona Fall League. Though a small sample, Veen did struggle upon his promotion to Hartford, as he posted only a .177/.262/.234 slash line across 141 plate appearances.
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Rockies' Zac Veen: Scuffling through power drought
Rotowire
Veen is hitting a modest .257/.366/.396 with five home runs, 22 steals and a 32:52 BB:K through 52 games for High-A Spokane.
He's been particularly rough with the bat over his last dozen games, hitting .195/.340/.244, though he does have eight steals in that span. Veen's legs have carried him even when his bat hasn't, as he's only been caught stealing a single time all season -- a huge improvement over the 17 times he was thrown out last year. Still, after he put up a .501 slugging percentage in Low-A in 2021, expectations for his power output were much higher than this. Veen still has plenty of prospect luster thanks to his speed, his plate discipline and his future home in Coors Field, but it'd be nice to see him start driving the ball more often.
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Rockies' Zac Veen: Earns Northwest League Honors
Rotowire
Veen was named the Northwest League Player of the Week on Monday for his production with High-A Spokane, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.
Veen collected nine hits across 19 at-bats, tallying three doubles, one home run, three RBI and two walks across five games to earn the honors. Despite the impressive week, Veen has struck out at 35.1 percent clip across 57 plate appearances to begin the season, and he has struck out at least once in 12 of his 13 games. At just 20 years old, it's not particularly surprising that Veen still has holes in his game, and he still possesses a promising fantasy skill set highlighted by his ability to both hit for power and provide stolen bases.
Veen stole two more bases Sunday for High-A Spokane, giving him seven swipes in eight games this year. However, he's hitting just .138/.306/.138 with a 7:13 BB:K.
That strikeout rate is rough, and Veen is still searching for his first extra-base knock this year, but it's good to see him swiping bags at a much better clip than last season, when he posted just a 67.9 percent success rate despite recording 36 steals. Those walks are a positive sign, too, and we should see him hit the ball with more authority as the season wears on. Just 20 years old, Veen is still probably two or three years away from the majors, so he has plenty of time to refine his approach at the dish.
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Rockies' Zac Veen: Monster game Tuesday
Rotowire
Veen hit for the cycle -- including a grand slam -- and drove in a total of seven runs for Low-A Fresno against Modesto on Tuesday.
Just another big game in what's been a big pro debut season for Veen, who's now hitting .309/.403/.532 with 15 homers, 30 steals, 72 RBI and 74 runs for Fresno. The grand slam went to the opposite field, highlighting just how much power the 19-year-old outfielder brings to the table. He's been on an absolute tear in August, hitting .429/.488/.729 for the month, so it's clear that Veen has nothing left to prove in Low-A. After a slow start to the season, he's been terrorizing opposing pitching. There are only two nits to pick from his monster stat line: Veen's been caught stealing 16 times, which is actually a rather poor success rate, and he's striking out at a 25.8 percent clip. But considering his age (and his already strong 12.8 percent walk rate), those aren't major causes for concern.
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Rockies' Zac Veen: Power surge continues
Rotowire
Veen went 5-for-6 with a home run, two walks, five runs and three RBI for Low-A Fresno between the team's doubleheader games Saturday versus Stockton.
In his first season in the professional ranks, Veen has made his biggest impact on the bases (27-for-37 success rate on stolen-base attempts) and with his on-base skills (.396 OBP), but the 6-foot-5, 200-pound outfielder's plus raw power is finally beginning to show up in games. After leaving the yard only four times in his first 57 games with Fresno, Veen has matched that total over the club's past four contests. Veen should be in line for a promotion to High-A Spokane before season's end.
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Rockies' Zac Veen: Big day at Low-A
Rotowire
Veen went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, three RBI, a run and two stolen bases Sunday in Low-A Fresno's 8-7 win over Visalia.
When the Rockies selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in last summer's draft, Veen was touted mostly for his plus raw power and advanced approach at the plate, he's made his biggest impact on the basepaths in his first season of professional ball. Through 44 games and 202 plate appearances, Veen has already swiped 24 bags, though he's been thrown out seven times. The 19-year-old Veen will likely sacrifice more speed for power as he matures into his 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame, but his strong all-around skill set coupled with the fact that the Rockies boast the majors' most hitter-friendly home park makes him an intriguing player to track in dynasty leagues.
