Rockies' Breakout Rookie Warming Bernabel Hits Injured List At Worst Time

After starting his career off strong, Warming Bernabel's rookie season with the Colorado Rockies has been put on pause.

Aug 18, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies first baseman Warming Bernabel (25) watches his ball on a walk off RBI single in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies have had the worst season in franchise history. Between setting the franchise record for losses, firing their longtime manager and possibly needing a new front office staff, there will be a lot of change for the Rockies during the upcoming offseason.

The good has been few and far between at the major league level. Hunter Goodman has had a breakout year, reaching 30 home runs in his first full MLB season and Jimmy Herget has had a career year in the bullpen. But other than that, it has been hard to see a silver lining aside from the prospects of the future.

While the big names didn't make an impact in 2025, an unexpected prospect burst onto the scene for Colorado: Warming Bernabel.

One of the stories of baseball for a couple of weeks, the rookie has still impressed even after cooling down. Now, he will have to miss time. It was announced by the Rockies on Tuesday that Bernabel was placed on the 7-day IL with a concussion. Michael Toglia was recalled to take his place.

Bernabel’s Showcase Pauses, Toglia Will Try To Turn It Around

Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bernabel shocked the baseball world in late July and early August with his immediate success. In his first six games, the 23-year-old went 11-for-24 with two doubles, one triple, three homers and seven RBIs. He slashed .458/.480/.1.000 for a 1.480 OPS, earning Player of the Week honors.

The corner infielder was the Rockies' No. 18 prospect in 2024. He didn't have any tools that would wow scouts, but he made good contact. After having an OPS of .656 in Double-A last season, it was looking like he would never become a huge contributor.

He'd shown indications of it during his 2022 campaign where he had an .869 OPS in Single-A and High-A, but it had been a couple of years since and Bernabel had dealt with injuries. He got back on track, though, hitting .301 with an .806 OPS in the hitter-friendly PCL at Triple-A, earning him his call-up that had baseball fans everywhere taking notice.

Overall on the season, he has a .736 OPS with four home runs and 14 RBIs. A timetable for his return hasn't been given, but it is unfortunate for him to have a magical debut cut short for the time being.

Warming Bernabel of the @Rockies is the second player in the modern era to have 14+ hits & 8+ extra-base hits through seven career MLB games, joining Mitchell Page in 1977. pic.twitter.com/LcwEEUTnmX

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 2, 2025

In his stead, Colorado recalled Toglia in hopes that he will figure it out at the plate.

A former first-round pick and top prospect, Toglia was seen as a power-hitting first baseman who would move quickly through the system. His first 76 games of big league action left a lot to be desired. Hit .187 batting average and .572 OPS earned him a 50 OPS+ and minus-1.5 bWAR.

His first real look at everyday at-bats came in 2024 where he had a breakout year. In 116 games, the first baseman hit 14 doubles, 25 homers and drove in 55 runs on his way to a .767 OPS. His 2.2 bWAR was fourth most on the team.

Then it all fell apart again in his age-26 season. In just 85 games during this campaign, Toglia's OPS dropped back down to .623. The power was also down, dropping 95 points off of his slugging percentage with his bWAR being minus-1.5. He was optioned for a couple of weeks in June before staying with the team until being sent back down on Aug. 3.

The former Futures Game participant seemed to have found his swing in Triple-A. In August, Toglia slashed .368/.448/.645 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. But that didn't translate over to Tuesday, with the slugger going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

There's always been good power potential with Toglia. However, he's always struggled with the strikeout, never having a rate lower than 32% in the majors. This season, it was nearly 40% at 38.3.

If he can't figure things out to close out this campaign, he could have a hard time breaking the roster to start 2026.

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