Ezequiel Tovar DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (triceps) is back in the Cactus League lineup on Friday to face the Texas Rangers and right-hander Jacob deGrom. Tovar is starting at shortstop and batting second in the lineup after he was removed early on Wednesday as a precaution after being hit by a pitch on his left triceps. The injury was obviously a minor one for the 23-year-old, who has gone 4-for-17 so far in spring training action with three doubles. The 23-year-old Venezuelan infielder had a league-high 655 at-bats and 45 doubles in 2024 in his second full season in the big leagues while also slashing .269/.295/.469 with a .763 OPS, 26 home runs, 78 RBI, six stolen bases and 83 runs scored in 157 games played. Tovar calls one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the sport as his home, but his lack of patience limits his fantasy upside at a premier position.

Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (triceps) left Wednesday's Cactus League game versus the division-rival San Diego Padres with a left-triceps contusion after being hit by a pitch, according to The Denver Post's Patrick Saunders. The hit-by-pitch happened in the first inning, and Tovar was replaced by Owen Miller in the third inning. It doesn't sound like the 23-year-old's injury is very serious, so we'll consider him day-to-day for now. Fantasy managers drafting soon shouldn't be dropping Tovar down their draft boards. RotoBaller has Tovar ranked as the No. 12 fantasy shortstop after he posted career-highs in home runs (26), RBI (78) and runs scored (83) while leading the league in doubles (45) and at-bats (655) while also slashing .269/.295/.469 in 157 games played. The knock on Tovar is that he strikes out plenty (200 times last year), but also walked just 3.3% of the time.

Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar played his part offensively in Monday's 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks. Tovar went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and two strikeouts. The 23-year-old took a fourth-inning Merrill Kelly offering to the opposite field, landing it in the right-center bullpen for his 24th HR of the season. Tovar's season numbers look good overall, but he has struggled in the second half of the season. He is now slashing .244/.270/.465 in 213 second-half at-bats with 10 HR, 26 RBI, and two stolen bases. This batting average is bolstered by a solid July, as he hit just .200 in August and is hitting .182 in September.