​The Colorado Rockies are set to promote their No. 8 prospect outfielder Zac Veen to the major leagues, MLB.com’s Thomas Harding reports, with the 23-year-old expected to make his MLB debut during the upcoming homestand at Coors Field on Tuesday.

Veen’s call-up comes on the heels of an impressive stint with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes to start the 2025 season. In a standout game against Salt Lake on Saturday, Veen went 5-for-5, including a home run, two doubles, and four RBIs in an explosive 14-3 victory at home. He went 0-for-4 with a walk and run on Sunday but over eight games this season, he has maintained a .387 batting average with a 1.149 OPS.

Drafted ninth overall by the Rockies in the 2020 MLB Draft, Veen has steadily progressed through the minor league system. Despite facing injuries that limited his playtime over the past two seasons, he showcased resilience and determination, culminating in his recent offensive surge with Albuquerque. ​

The hot start in Albuquerque comes off the heels of a strong spring training with the Rockies. Veen was a strong contender for an Opening Day roster spot until the very end of camp. He led the team with 11 RBIs and contributed two home runs, four doubles, and a triple over 28 games. Following the trade of Nolan Jones to Cleveland, it appeared tailor-made for Veen to step in at the starting left fielder. However, the Rockies chose for him to begin the season in Triple-A to refine certain aspects of his game, instead going with the veteran Nick Martini and signing outfielder Mickey Moniak.

They sighted his need to improve his strikeout rate and get some more seasoning in the minors. Due to the injuries over the years, Veen has only played 351 games and had just 233 at-bats in 2024. Still, when healthy he has proven a force on the field. The Rockies wanted him to get better at putting the ball in play be a bit less risky on the base paths and find some rhythm against major league pitching.

Additionally, Veen was working to clean up his game and work on his defensive versatility. In the eight games with Albuquerque he spent five of them in center field.

“In the first game, there were some hiccups with the whole outfield and they discussed it the next day,” said Rockies first base coach Ron Gideon, who receives game reports from the Isotopes staff. “The next game, everybody had multiple plays. Veen probably had about four — gaps coming in, charging, throws, all of it, and he did them all fine.
“You’ve got to have a routine, and it’s going to change every day,” Gideon continued. “There are challenges, and how he adjusts to them is the key. Now he’s doing it, and that’s good.”

To accommodate Veen’s promotion, the Rockies are optioning outfielder Jordan Beck to Triple-A Albuquerque. This move aims to provide Beck with regular at-bats and development opportunities after his slow start to the season where he has gone 3-for-20 (.150) start to the season. Beck had also struggled in spring training but secured his roster spot by showing some power at the end of camp. Still, the 24-year-old 2022 draft pick had been viewed as more big league ready when they promoted him last season, especially after a hot start to the year in Triple-A, but has struggled to find his footing at the major league level. If he can regain his swing in Albuquerque, it will be a huge boon for the Rockies and make it enticing to bring him back, especially if Veen finds success as well.  ​

Expectations and excitement are high for Veen, given his pedigree and recent performances. His combination of power, speed, and defensive capabilities positions him as a potential cornerstone for the team’s future. Not to mention the flare by which he plays the game that could be the type of spark this Rockies team needs at this point in time. After the disappointing 2-7 start to the year, the team needs to inject themselves with some vitamin Veen. As the Rockies navigate the early stages of the season, integrating Veen into the lineup could provide a much-needed boost to their offensive production.​

Should Veen make his debut on Tuesday it will mark back-to-back games in which the team has promoted a highly anticipated first-round pick to make his debut. 2023 first-round pick Chase Dollander debuted at Coors Field on Sunday and delivered a strong five-inning start against the Athletics to earn his first win of the season.

The Rockies are looking for something to jumpstart the offense and bringing in new blood like Veen is a hopeful sign that they are realizing its okay to make some headway on letting the young kids play and see if the drafting and developing process can pay off like they hope it will.