For Rockies outfielder Zac Veen, the 2026 season has been a winding road that required clearing several hurdles — physical, personal, and professional — before arriving at what now looks like a genuine breakthrough at the major-league level.
When Veen arrived at the team's Scottsdale, Ariz., spring training facility in February, his frame carried more than 40 additional pounds of muscle compared to the version of himself who had managed just 34 at-bats during the entire 2025 campaign. The transformation went deeper than the physical. Veen spoke openly during camp about confronting substance abuse challenges and pushing through them over the previous offseason. Standing inside the visitor's clubhouse at Yankee Stadium during a recent road trip, he reflected on where he finds himself now. "I feel really, really blessed and really grateful," he said. "All glory to God. I'm just super blessed and enjoying and loving every day."
The season's early chapters were hard ones regardless. A contusion to his right knee curtailed his spring and placed him on the 10-day injured list when the regular season began, and after he was cleared, the organization sent him down to Triple-A Albuquerque. His path back to Denver did not open until Aug. 11, but the numbers he assembled in the minors helped make the case: a .327 average over 100 games and 392 at-bats, with 24 home runs and 87 RBIs — production that held up across an extended sample rather than a brief hot stretch.
Veen has pointed to video study of his own high school years as a key part of his improvement — footage from a period when he was considered among the nation's top prospects before Colorado selected him ninth overall in the 2020 MLB draft. He said that even while performing adequately early in the season, he sensed untapped potential from the work he had put in during the winter, and that conversations with teammates paired with film from his stronger earlier years helped him pull his game together. The swing that emerged from those sessions he describes as "athletic and whippy," with extension being a central ingredient — a swing he brought into spring training but recognized still needed further refinement to become consistent.
The adjustments have helped him settle into a left-right platoon in the outfield with right-handed-hitting Jordan Beck, and heading into a recent home series finale against San Diego, Veen had struck out in 23 of 61 plate appearances while slashing .250/.339/.442. He has also contributed as a pinch hitter, going 3-for-9 off the bench — figures that manager Warren Schaeffer said reflect Veen's preparation and willingness to be ready whenever called upon. "I see a guy that looks like he's ready to hit every at-bat," Schaeffer said. "I see a guy who's extremely prepared right now, who's trying to take advantage of every opportunity he has and doing whatever we ask him to do. He's laying bunts down to help us win games. He's taking good, solid at-bats, hitting line drives. I see a guy who is playing well."
With about 10 days remaining in the schedule, the closing stretch serves as a proving ground for Veen, Beck, and other young Rockies. Schaeffer said a strong finish matters for the whole roster — not only those two — and cited a sense of building momentum in the team's overall play that he hopes can carry forward into next season.
How much playing time Veen will command on the 2027 roster will likely depend on how he performs in these final regular-season games.