Before the 4 p.m. MT 40-man roster deadline to protect them from the Rule-5 Draft, the Colorado Rockies selected the contract of outfielder Zac Veen the club announced.

Veen, 22, was originally drafted by the Rockies in the first round (ninth overall) in 2020 out of Spruce Creek High School in Florida. As a lefty outfielder, Veen received plenty of praise for his power in high school as well as his athletic abilities in the outfield and on the bases but he hasn’t quite reached the heights projected for him in the minor leagues.

Part of Veen’s troubles have been injuries, notably a left hand/wrist injury that required season-ending surgery in 2023 and various issues that popped up with his back and other ailments in 2024. Still, he has shown glimpses of that potential that could make him a helpful piece for the Rockies in 2025 and beyond.

During his first full season in 2021 with Low-A Fresno (.901 OPS), Veen hit the ground running in 2022 with High-A Spokane, hitting 11 homers and stealing 50 bases in 92 games to earn MVP honors in the Northwest League. However, he struggled after a promotion to Double-A Hartford.

He headed to the Arizona Fall League in 2022 and turned in a solid performance by slashing .333/.444/.444 with a home run, 10 RBI and 16 stolen bases along with 15 walks against eight strikeouts. Unfortunately, he was unable to carry that success at the plate into 2023 as he struggled once again and admitted he had been trying to play through the wrist injury that eventually needed surgery to end his season. He still managed 22 stolen bases but the Rockies felt he should head to Puerto Rico for a brief stint to make up some lost time after he had recovered from surgery.

He appeared in just four games in the Puerto Rico Winter League, but it was enough to prove he was healthy and looking good at the plate. Veen again started the 2024 season in Double-A and had a hot start to the season batting .326/.418/.568 with five home runs, 12 RBI and nine stolen bases in his first 28 games. An injury popped up again but he proved effective during a rehab stint in the Arizona Complex League and High-A Spokane, returning to Hartford in July for eight games before doing down with another injury for a few weeks.

Once recovered in late August, Veen was promoted to Triple-A Albuquerque to finish out the season and draw closer to the big leagues. There were offensive adjustments Veen had to make as he struggled at the plate, but he did flash his power with six home runs and 15 RBI in 92 plate appearances over 21 games.

Over four minor league seasons, Veen has batted .260/.355/.424 with 40 home runs, 67 doubles, 11 triples, 201 RBI and 225 runs scored. His speed has also been on full display with 134 stolen bags. His athleticism and aggressive approach on the bases has made him a worthy plus threat that can generate runs. However, playing through injury caused him to change his mechanics which he has been trying to work on remedying again.

The Rockies are hopeful he is back in a good place at the plate with a more consistent swing on an even plane, but his over-aggressiveness at the plate has caused an uptick in strikeouts as he has ascended through the system and seen better pitching.

There have been flashes of Veen’s potential, enough to make one excited about the prospects of his role with the team. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the Rockies No. 3 top prospect and placed him as the 83rd-best prospect in baseball. Still after four seasons, Veen’s full potential has a healthy player has yet to be seen and 2025 will be a crucial year for him to prove he can continue to improve and stay on the field. He is expected to start the year in Triple-A to continue to get some seasoning.

The Rockies did not make any other moves to add players, leaving them with 39 players on the 40-man roster.