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.

Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (hernia) had a great game back in the lineup for Tuesday's 9-8 loss to the Marlins. Tovar, who missed Monday's game due to a sports hernia, went 3-for-4 with a double, a solo home run, a two-run HR, four RBI, and a strikeout. The 23-year-old went back-to-back with Charlie Blackmon in the first inning, launching a 456-foot bomb to straightaway center. He victimized Roddery Munoz again in the second inning, lining a fastball into the left-field seats. This performance was encouraging for fantasy managers, for while Tovar's season numbers are fine, he owns a poor .202/.224/.372 slash line in 94 August at-bats.

As expected, Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (hernia) is back at shortstop and hitting in the two-hole on Tuesday against the Miami Marlins and right-hander Roddery Munoz at Coors Field. Tovar was held out of Monday's contest due to a sports hernia that he's been dealing with, but it's obviously not serious enough to keep him out for an extended period of time. The Rockies have nothing left to play for in 2024 but pride, though, so if the 23-year-old continues to struggle offensively, they could consider shutting him down. Tovar has hit .271/.296/.455 on the year with a career-high 19 home runs and 55 RBI in 127 games in his second full season in the big leagues. However, he's struggled in the dog days of August, going 16-for-90 (.178) with a homer, six doubles, three RBI and 32 strikeouts in 21 games. Fantasy managers have to be worried that his hernia is the reason for his recent cold stretch.