Rockies' Ezequiel Tovar Faces Make-or-Break Month in August

For most of the season, Ezequiel Tovar has been one of the Colorado Rockies’ biggest disappointments, struggling to produce at the plate and looking far removed from the player they expected to anchor shortstop.

August has offered some encouraging signs. Tovar entered Saturday batting .310 with nine hits, one home run and five RBI over his previous 10 games.

The stretch was highlighted by a 4-for-4 night against the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug. 3, when he homered and singled three times in Colorado's 13-9 loss. A few strong games will not change what has been an otherwise disappointing season, but they do give Tovar the chance to re-establish himself as a player Colorado can build around.

From Building Block to Question Mark

Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar catches a fly ball in the 7th inning at Coors Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Entering 2026, there was little reason for the Rockies to question Tovar's place in their future. In 2024, he batted .269 with 26 home runs and an NL-leading 45 doubles while winning his first Gold Glove. Injuries disrupted his 2025 season, but a strong World Baseball Classic with Venezuela (.471/.500/.647 slash line in six games) offered reason to believe a rebound could follow.

Instead, Tovar entered the All-Star break slashing a dreadful .200/.243/.330 with eight home runs and 32 RBI. His 62.6% swing rate and 55.4% first-pitch swing rate led qualified MLB hitters at the break, per Statcast. The struggles became significant enough that Warren Schaeffer was willing to remove Tovar in key situations. On July 5 against the Giants, Schaeffer pinch-hit Willi Castro for him in the seventh inning of an eventual 7–6 Rockies win.

These struggles are why Tovar's final weeks of the season are important. His final stat line is still likely to look poor, but a strong finish could provide evidence that 2026 was an extended slump rather than the beginning of a more concerning trend.

The Rockies have spent much of 2026 discovering younger players who could become part of their future. Players such as Cole Carrigg, TJ Rumfield, and Kyle Karros have given Colorado new pieces to evaluate. Tovar is different in that regard. Colorado entered the year believing it already knew what it had in him; now there is room for doubt.

Those struggles have not been lost on Tovar, either.

“I'm not a robot. It's going to eat at me sometimes when I'm not executing the way I want,” Tovar told MLB.com after a two-home run performance against the San Francisco Giants in May.

For the rest of 2026, Tovar has an opportunity to make those moments a more common occurrence.

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