The Rockies only made one addition to their 40-man roster on Rule 5 protection day. Colorado selected the contract of former ninth overall pick Zac Veen. Their roster count is up to 39.
Veen, a lefty-hitting outfielder, drew ample praise for his power potential as a high schooler. He hasn’t yet shown that in the minors, at least partially due to a left hand injury that required season-ending surgery in 2023. Veen had a solid rebound this year, running a .258/.346/.459 line with 11 longballs in 65 games between four levels. He played his way to Triple-A Albuquerque by the end of the season.
The 22-year-old (23 next month) could still use some minor league reps, but he’s not too far off his MLB debut. Baseball America recently ranked him the No. 7 prospect in the Rox’s system. While his prospect stock is down from where it was a couple seasons ago, it was still a no-brainer for Colorado to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.
