Colorado Rockies: Potential players for September call-ups

It’s nearly September and that means one thing for the Colorado Rockies. Unfortunately it doesn’t include a playoff run for the fourth year in a row, but it does mean we’ll see some new faces.

Every year on September 1, MLB clubs expand their rosters to deal with the drain of a long season. This year will be unlike most because of the lockout to start the season.

The MLB and Players Association allowed 14 pitchers up until May 29 because of shortened Spring Training. They were going to expand rosters to 28 players and 29 for double-headers in April. All the arbitrary dates aside, now in September, those are the numbers teams are required to expand their rosters to, with a limit of 14 pitchers.

While none of these players will likely make a push immediately, here are some of the most exciting players to look forward to seeing next month.

The first and biggest name for the Colorado Rockies has to be Michael Toglia. He is the Rockies first baseman prospect drafted out of UCLA in 2019 with the 23rd overall pick. It’s been nearly 10 years since the greatest Rockie ever retired. There have been good players at first since Todd Helton hung it up, but it’s been very difficult for the franchise to develop at the position. There is a long way to go for Toglia, but he has been very exciting so far.

He was called up to Double-A and Triple-A Albuquerque this year. Between both levels, he’s hit 30 homers with a  .249/.341/.510 line in 114 games. In 17 games in Triple-A, he hit .333 with seven home runs and 17 RBI.

Toglia beat the September call-ups by two days, getting the start at first while C.J. Cron served as the designated hitter on Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves. Toglia went 0-for-4 in the 3-2 win. He’ll collect his hits as this switch-hitting prospect should be in the big leagues permanently very soon.

Sean Bouchard also returned alongside Toglia, collecting his first big-league knock on Tuesday.

Another exciting player to look out for for a possible call-up is shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. The Rockies will likely get rid of their shortstop (Jose Iglesias) for nothing in return for the second year in a row in the offseason, so the importance of Tovar only increases for this franchise. He is the 28th-ranked prospect in the majors and the Rockies second-ranked prospect.

Unfortunately, Tovar hasn’t played in Double-A Hartford since the end of June as he is dealing with a groin injury. If he can make a full recovery, he’d be a great candidate to earn a call-up. He is hitting .318/.386/.545 with 13 homers in 66 games with the Yard Goats. Hopefully he can be the next in line of great Rockies developed shortstops.

Here’s to hoping we will see Zac Veen this September. While it’d be great to see one of the most exciting catching prospects in Drew Romo, it seems more realistic (if only slightly) that we might see Veen. Romo was just promoted to High-A Spokane this year. Maybe look for him in 2023. Veen is an outfield superstar who will likely be one of the best Rockies of the next generation. He already participated in the Futures Game and he can steal bases and simultaneously has pop in his bat.

Even if we can’t look forward to October, at least we can look toward the future starting in September.