Headlines

  • Rays Option Taj Bradley
  • Padres Have Discussed Dylan Cease With Several Teams
  • Guardians Open To Offers On Shane Bieber
  • Cardinals Designate Erick Fedde For Assignment
  • Isaac Paredes Has “Pretty Significant” Injury; Astros Could Pursue Additional Bat
  • Lock In A Lower Price On Trade Rumors Front Office Now!
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Rockies Option Zac Veen, Outright Evan Justice

By Steve Adams | April 23, 2025 at 1:06pm CDT

The Rockies announced Wednesday that they’ve optioned outfielder Zac Veen to Triple-A Albuquerque and assigned lefty Evan Justice outright to Albuquerque after he cleared waivers. Veen’s return to Triple-A clears the way for center fielder Brenton Doyle to be reinstated from the bereavement list.

Veen, 23, was the ninth overall draft pick back in 2020 and for several years ranked among the sport’s top 100 prospects. His stock has dipped in recent seasons as his production wilted a bit in the upper minors. He put together a solid 2024 campaign, however, slashing.258/.346/.459 between Double-A and Triple-A — although he was far more productive at the lower of those two levels. Veen got out to a nice start in Triple-A this year, hitting .387/.472/.677 in 37 plate appearances, earning his first call to the show with that impressive output.

Things didn’t go well for Veen in Denver. He appeared in a dozen games with the Rox and floundered at the plate, hitting just .118/.189/.235 in an identical amount of playing time (37 plate appearances) to his early run in Albuquerque. Big league pitchers punched Veen out 14 times (37.8%), and he chased pitches off the plate at an ugly 36.6% rate. His 58.3% contact rate, as measured by Statcast, is the sixth-lowest in baseball among hitters with at least 30 plate appearances.

Rough as that debut effort was, it came in a small sample and was preceded by a track record of generally solid minor league production. Veen may no longer be viewed as the potential star outfielder he was seen as a couple years ago, but he touts a career .263/.358/.430 batting line in the minors — including a .266/.336/.531 line in 129 Triple-A plate appearances. He also only just turned 23 this past December, meaning he reached the majors at an age when most prospects — certainly the majority of college draftees — are still in the minors. He’ll head back to Triple-A for the time being and continue to refine his approach, and barring some form of major injury, it’s likely he’ll return to the big leagues at some point in 2025.

In the meantime, the Rockies will deploy an outfield with Doyle in center, where he’ll be flanked by a combination of Mickey Moniak, Nick Martini, Jordan Beck and Sean Bouchard. It’s a patchwork collection of corner options, which only further underscores that there ought to be a place for Veen later on if he continues to show well in Albuquerque. Martini is a 34-year-old journeyman. Bouchard is a homegrown product who’s in his fourth partial season. He’s fanned in nearly 31% of his big league plate appearances and will turn 29 next month. Moniak was a low-cost, one-year signing who can work in a fourth outfield role. Beck, like Veen, has been viewed as a top prospect within the Rox system but has yet to piece things together in the majors.

As for the 26-year-old Justice, he’ll stick with the Rockies as a depth option. The 2021 fifth-rounder made his big league debut in 2023 and has pitched 7 2/3 frames for Colorado since. He’s been roughed up for seven earned runs in the majors and has had a tough start in Triple-A as well, surrendering six runs with more walks than strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. Justice’s 2024 season was shortened by a back injury that required a monthslong absence. He’s had trouble staying on the mound, also missing time with arm troubles in earlier seasons, but Justice has fanned more than 28% of his opponents in pro ball.

Share 0 Retweet 0 Send via email0

Colorado Rockies Transactions Brenton Doyle Evan Justice Zac Veen

Cubs, Michael Fulmer Agree To Minor League Deal
Main
Rangers Getting Josh Smith Reps In Center Field
View Comments (28)
Post a Comment

28 Comments

  1. choof

    3 months ago

    I send Brenton Doyle and his wife my best wishes. Miscarriages are one of the worst possible things a couple can go through. I’m rooting for him big time

    5
    Reply
    • nlewiss

      3 months ago

      Some people just can’t help themselves. I guarantee you the chatter does not help.

      Reply
  2. Titus Andromedon

    3 months ago

    I think we need the thumbs down back around these parts.

    2
    Reply
  3. Flanster

    3 months ago

    VERY insensitive comment

    1
    Reply
    • Titus Andromedon

      3 months ago

      You’re the one getting emotional over getting called out online. You sound like the weak one. And nice straw man at the end, really ties it all together.

      1
      Reply
    • Titus Andromedon

      3 months ago

      We all run into @ssholes. If you run into @ssholes all day, you’re the @sshole.

      4
      Reply
    • choof

      3 months ago

      what do you expect? He’s a Cardinals fan, They have no class

      Reply
      • gbs42

        3 months ago

        choof, that’s painting with a really broad brush.

        Reply
    • choof

      3 months ago

      You don’t necessarily just “heal” from that type of loss. I experienced the same thing and am still not the same 2 years later. He can’t just sit out the forseeable future

      1
      Reply
  4. Flanster

    3 months ago

    It figures that the master of bad takes lashes out if anybody says anything negative about his comments

    1
    Reply
  5. Poolhalljunkies

    3 months ago

    Cards…So..if your child died you would you just suck it up and get over it? ..no time to grieve? Wow youd be father/husband of the year for sure…

    1
    Reply
    • Poolhalljunkies

      3 months ago

      “Dude”. ..i get that you clearly are tone deaf in this instance ..thats really all there is to it

      1
      Reply
    • Dolla Bill

      3 months ago

      Careful! Joel is the King of Mute.

      1
      Reply
      • Flanster

        3 months ago

        …..and now he’s in the process of changing his name again

        1
        Reply
  6. chopper2hopper

    3 months ago

    What is so hard about this? Doyle, Veen, Beck all year in Denver. The team record is completely irrelevant compared to developing their players at the major league level given the direction of the team. Martini, Bouchard, even Moniak – you’re just wasting ABs.

    1
    Reply
    • hiflew

      3 months ago

      Why waste service time on players that are clearly not ready for big league pitching? It would be different if Veen or Beck actually looked anywhere close to good, but they aren’t. Beck is not even hitting well in AAA.. Just because they are names on a page on a prospect website is virtually meaningless. If you are not producing in the majors, teams will not just keep putting you out there. Even those that are at the bottom of the standings,

      1
      Reply
      • chopper2hopper

        3 months ago

        I understand your point on service time but when you call up a guy (in Veen’s case) and break camp with the other (Beck) and then pull the plug after a week, that’s certainly…. an approach?

        Also Beck slashed .319/.402/.558 at AAA last season. If that’s “not even hitting well,” i don’t know what to tell you – I can only assume you’re looking at a week’s worth of 2025 games. Not all prospects enter MLB and scorch earth. Teams like the pathetic Rockies have the luxury of giving longer rope to prospects but they choose not to so that they can lose a 100+ with guys wasting developmental ABs and innings.

        Reply
        • hiflew

          3 months ago

          I wasn’t talking about last year with Beck. I was talking about this year after he got sent down for not hitting well. He went 5 for 30 with 14 strikeouts in his short AAA stint. He is just striking out too much and you are very unlikely to work through that at the major league level.

          “Not all prospects enter MLB and scorch earth.” Which is exactly why not all prospects stick in the majors right from the start. Getting demoted is not the end of the line. It is a challenge to the player that they have things they need to improve. If they cannot handle the challenge, they don’t deserve to be in the bigs anyway.

          Reply
        • chopper2hopper

          3 months ago

          Yeah, we just look at this differently. I think it’s shortsighted to reference 8 games in April and draw conclusions on a player’s progression. And players can and have worked through their early season struggles in big leagues. It’s not uncommon especially on a bottom feeder. Here’s hoping you and the Rockies have it right with the jockeying back and forth after a week of struggles.

          Reply
  7. Oddball Hererra

    3 months ago

    Gotta keep those ABs available for Moniak, can’t let some rando prospect get in his way.

    Oh the Rockies 😂

    Reply
    • hiflew

      3 months ago

      Moniak is only 26 years old and he is hitting very well. I don’t understand why people are writing him off as someone that is nearing the end of the line. He is the same age as Brenton Doyle.

      1
      Reply
  8. holecamels35

    3 months ago

    Back in my day, Coors used to be a hitter’s park, now they can’t seem to get much of anything going. Guys like Toglia and Jones are good one year, awful the next. Revolving door of bad outfielders aside from Doyle. Did they “adjust the sliders” and make it a pitcher’s park?

    Reply
  9. jramey1

    3 months ago

    WTF WHY NOT BECK?? As a longtime Rockies fan I have no clue what’s going on anymore, don’t think they do either! SMH

    1
    Reply
  10. Dumpster Divin Theo

    3 months ago

    They had Zac Veen mistakenly thought they had Zac Vereen, they were looking for a five tool cat who could sing, dance, juggle, play Chicken George and do stand up

    Reply
    • hiflew

      3 months ago

      I think you mean Ben Vereen.

      1
      Reply
  11. Old York

    3 months ago

    Probably best to focus on hitting and less on what colour his hair is. Come back when you’re ready to play.

    Reply
  12. 60s fan

    3 months ago

    4-20g, I knew it would be bad it this is beyond ridiculous. Sell the team, Monfort, you suck. At the very least get a good baseball person to replace McGregor.

    Reply
  13. MLBTR needs to hire editors

    3 months ago

    “Rough as that debut effort was” is NOT PROPER ENGLISH. You can’t just leave “as” out to begin the sentence. It’s not optional! Grammar is not optional when you’re being paid to write.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Rays Option Taj Bradley

    Padres Have Discussed Dylan Cease With Several Teams

    Guardians Open To Offers On Shane Bieber

    Cardinals Designate Erick Fedde For Assignment

    Isaac Paredes Has “Pretty Significant” Injury; Astros Could Pursue Additional Bat

    Lock In A Lower Price On Trade Rumors Front Office Now!

    Mariners, D-backs Have Discussed Eugenio Suárez

    Twins More Seriously Listening To Offers On Rental Players

    Blue Jays Interested In Mitch Keller

    Tigers To Promote Troy Melton

    A’s Listening On Jeffrey Springs, JP Sears

    Phillies Sign David Robertson

    Guardians Listening To Offers On Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith

    Nationals Agree To Sign First Overall Pick Eli Willits

    Rangers Trade Dane Dunning To Braves

    Kyle Gibson Announces Retirement

    Yankees Interested In Mitch Keller

    Pirates Trade Adam Frazier To Royals

    Stuart Sternberg Has Agreed To Sell Rays To Patrick Zalupski, Deal Expected To Be Final By September

    2025 MLB Draft, First Round Results

    Recent

    Fantasy Baseball Subscriber Chat With Nicklaus Gaut

    9 Under-The-Radar Bullpen Trade Candidates

    Draft Signings: Schoolcraft, Watson, Russell, Quick, Flemming, Root

    Rays Option Taj Bradley

    Rays Prefer To Keep Pete Fairbanks

    Cubs, Zach Pop Agree To Minor League Deal

    Reds Have Expressed Interest In Eugenio Suarez

    Latest On Seth Lugo’s Trade Candidacy

    Padres, Phillies Showing Interest In Steven Kwan

    Twins Sign First-Round Pick Marek Houston

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Josh Naylor Rumors
    • Eugenio Suarez Rumors
    • Ryan O’Hearn Rumors
    • Marcell Ozuna Rumors
    • Merrill Kelly Rumors
    • Seth Lugo Rumors
    • Ryan Helsley Rumors
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version