Rockies' Top Prospect Ethan Holliday Expected to Miss Rest of 2026 Season

The 2025 fourth-overall draft pick played in 33 games this year

Stillwater's Ethan Holliday throws to first for an out during the high school baseball game between Fort Cobb-Broxton and Stillwater at Edmond Santa Fe High School in Edmond, Okla., Friday, April, 18, 2025. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the biggest names in the Colorado Rockies' farm system is reportedly going to be sidelined for the remainder of the year.

Shortstop Ethan Holliday, Colorado's No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 16 overall prospect for 2026, is expected to have season-ending surgery on a stress fracture in his left foot, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The 19-year-old was enjoying a productive offensive campaign with the Single-A Fresno Grizzlies before suffering this injury that will prematurely end what would have been his first full season in the minors.

Holliday, the son of seven-time MLB All-Star Matt Holliday and the younger brother of 2022 first-overall draft pick Jackson Holliday, was hitting .262 with nine home runs, 32 RBIs, and 29 runs scored in 33 Single-A games played this year. But now, the 2025 first-round pick will seemingly have to turn his attention toward fully healing up for next season.

How Ethan Holliday's injury could impact Rockies now and in the future

Jul 13, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Ethan Holliday is drafted by the Colorado Rockies with the fourth pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It's no secret that Colorado isn't expected to compete for a championship right now. The Rockies enter Saturday's action at 21-37, which is the worst record in the majors. They're already 16 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the win column before the calendar flips to June.

With that in mind, Holliday's season-ending injury shouldn't have an immediate impact on the Rockies. If anything, this situation could further motivate Colorado to try to trade any valuable short-term assets they can at the deadline to continue building toward the future when Holliday is healthy and able to contribute. He's still just 19 years old, though, and he wasn't expected to make his big league debut for a couple of years even before this stress fracture.

The 2025 fourth-overall draft pick played in 18 Single-A games last year, so he's officially only 51 games into his professional career. The young shortstop will obviously always draw plenty of attention, in part due to his well-known relatives. And many baseball fans will be looking forward to seeing Holliday's return to action next year as he continues his development and journey to the majors.