PHOENIX -- Given their current standing in the won-loss column, the Rockies are focused more on the future than the present. One of the cornerstones of that future, shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, missed a total of 63 games in the first half of the season due to a left hip injury (mid-April to mid-May) and a left oblique strain (early June through the All-Star break).
Now healthy, Tovar has resumed his role as one of Colorado’s main building blocks for 2026 and beyond. Less than a year removed from winning a Gold Glove and leading the National League in doubles with 45 in 2024, Tovar slashed .329/.364/.575 (.939 OPS) since his most recent return to action on July 18, entering Monday, including .405/.436/.622 (1.058 OPS) in the first nine games of August.
“Better, thank God. I’ve felt much more comfortable and in better health,” said Tovar, who went 5-for-12 with two doubles in the Rockies’ three-game series against the Diamondbacks over the weekend. “And yes, just trying to keep it going so I can finish the season healthy, which is what everyone wants.”
Tovar, who signed a seven-year, $63.5 million contract extension with the Rockies in March 2024, is now on that path to finish the year on a positive note. And that’s how the Rockies want it, with an eye on next season.
“It’s incredibly important for him to stay healthy for the rest of the year,” said interim manager Warren Schaeffer. “No. 1, to gain that momentum heading into next year. No. 2, he’s a big part of what we do. He’s a Gold Glove shortstop that hits at the top of the order and makes our team better if he stays healthy.
“Part of that is on me. I’ve got to give him days off down the stretch here so that he stays healthy and stays fresh, to finish strong.”
Given his long-term commitment to the Rockies -- and theirs to him -- Tovar, who turned 24 on Aug. 1, could be called on to bring leadership qualities to a young club. Tovar isn’t particularly known as a loud voice in the clubhouse. It’s more about leading by example.
“Believe me, that’s something that I think will come on its own,” Tovar said. “I’m not trying to force it; I’m not trying to be the leader. It’s something that if it’s going to happen, it will happen on its own time.”
Schaeffer, who has observed Tovar closely as a coach and now a manager in Denver, sees the potential for growth on that front.
“I’ve seen those [leadership] traits for three years get gradually better and better, and come to more prominence,” Schaeffer said. “It’s natural, I think, just by the position he plays and the effect he has on the team.
“He is a natural leader. A natural leader doesn’t have to be the rah-rah guy in the clubhouse. He’ll never be that. But holding guys accountable in different ways, just by conversations ... he can do that for sure, and I feel like he’s gotten better at that over the years.”
Meanwhile, Tovar’s bat has been doing most of the talking lately, after a frustrating, injury-riddled first half of the season.
“I think that’s the most important thing. You want to be between the lines no matter what, trying to help the team win as much as possible,” Tovar said. “Baseball is full of ups and downs, and you have to try to stay healthy no matter what, taking the good with the bad ... and giving 100%.”