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.
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.
Veen went 1-for-3 with an RBI, two runs scored and three stolen bases in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Mariners.
Veen singled in the first inning and proceeded to steal second base. Two frames later he reached base on an error and stole both second and third, bringing his total to seven swiped bags through eight spring training games. Veen has impressed in general this spring, collecting six hits across 17 at-bats, including one home run and two doubles. He's still very likely to begin the season in the minors, though the impressive performance could push him into consideration for a call-up early in the new campaign.
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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.
The Rockies promoted Veen from High-A Spokane to Double-A Hartford on Tuesday.
Veen tallied just six hits over his last 34 at-bats at the High-A level, but that won't deter the Rockies from moving him up the ranks. Chances are he will both finish the current campaign and begin the next one with Hartford. Veen concluded his time at Spokane with a .269/.368/.439 slash line to go with 11 home runs and 50 stolen bases in 400 plate appearances.
