Colorado Rockies Prospect Zac Veen Pegged as Prime Injury Bounce-Back Candidate

Zac Veen has appeared in just 111 games over the last two seasons due to wrist, back and thumb injuries, but the Colorado Rockies could see the outfielder return to form in 2025.

Mar 18, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Zac Veen (73) connects against the Kansas City Royals during the seventh inning at Las Vegas Ballpark. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Zac Veen has lost a bit of his luster as of late, but one of the brightest young stars in the Colorado Rockies' farm system could very well turn things around this season.

MLB.com's Ben Weinrib compiled a list of 15 prospects primed to bounce back from injuries in 2025 on Sunday. Veen was one of the players Weinrib highlighted, considering the 23-year-old outfielder has appeared in just 111 games over the past two seasons.

Veen underwent left wrist surgery in June 2023, then suffered a lower back strain and a right thumb injury in 2024.

While his 2024 campaign was statistically a step up from his showing in 2023, Veen has still failed to meet expectations in the midst of his injuries.

In 2023, Veen hit .209 with a .612 OPS in Double-A. He then posted a .268 batting average with an .815 OPS in Double-A in 2024, only to hit .220 with a .757 OPS when he got promoted to Triple-A.

Even Veen's healthy 2022 season was a bit disappointing – he hit just .245 with a .724 OPS between High-A and Double-A – but his 55 stolen bases over 126 games were still sufficiently impressive.

Veen was the top-ranked high school player in the 2020 MLB Draft class, ultimately going No. 9 overall to the Rockies. Colorado wooed him away from the University of Florida with a $5 million signing bonus, and he proceeded to hit .301 with 15 home runs, 75 RBI, 36 stolen bases and a .901 OPS across 106 Single-A games in 2021.

That standout debut season cemented Veen as a top-100 prospect in baseball.

MLB Pipeline had Veen ranked No. 36 entering 2022, then No. 27 at the start of 2023. He fell out of the top 100 ahead of the 2024 season, but he crawled his way back to No. 83 by the end of the year.

Veen did not appear in MLB Pipeline's preseason top 100 for 2025, leaving right-handed pitcher Chase Dollander and outfielder Charlie Condon as Colorado's only prospects on the list.

The Rockies selected Veen's contract in November, adding him to their 40-man roster and protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft in the process. As a result, he didn't even need a non-roster invitation to punch his ticket to spring training this time around.

Veen previously attended spring training in 2023 and 2024. Across 32 Cactus League games, he hit .262 with one home run, three doubles, nine RBI, nine runs, 12 stolen bases, two walks, 19 strikeouts and a .637 OPS.

The Rockies have Brenton Doyle, Nolan Jones and Jordan Beck in place as their young, big league outfielders. Veen could very well join that rotation in 2025, but he might have to prove himself in Triple-A before he gets called up for his MLB debut.

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