Ezequiel Tovar DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

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.

Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (hernia), who was given Monday against the Miami Marlin off as he battles through a sports hernia, is likely to play on Tuesday at Coors Field. We now have a little more insight to why Tovar has struggled so much in the month of August. Those struggles could continue, too, as this is something that will most likely be bothering him the rest of the way. The 23-year-old Venezuelan infielder has gone just 16-for-90 (.178) with a homer, six doubles, three RBI, three walks and 32 strikeouts in 94 plate appearances over 21 games in August. Tovar is still hitting a very respectable .271 (144-for-532) on the year with 19 home runs, but his on-base percentage has now dipped below .300, and fantasy managers have to be concerned that he could continue to struggle while dealing with a sports hernia.