Ezequiel Tovar, a talented athlete whom the Rockies hope will become their next All-Star shortstop, will be called up from Triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday, the team confirmed on Wednesday.
Tovar, just 21, might be in the lineup in Thursday afternoon’s game against the Giants at Coors Field.
“I’m ready to play anywhere, but I just need to keep doing what I’m doing,” Tovar told The Post in June when speculation heated up that he could make his big-league debut this season.
The Rockies are hoping Tovar will follow in the footsteps of All-Star shortstops Troy Tulowitzki and Trevor Story, both of whom sparkled in the field and could hit the ball over the wall.
Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt was thrilled with what Tovar showed earlier this season.
“He’s in a good spot, I mean a very good spot, and he’s playing with a lot of confidence,” Schmidt said in June. “From the first time I saw him I thought we had something that wasn’t normal; somebody that had a chance to be a really good player.”
Tovar, who’s played in just five games at Triple-A, went 2-for-4 in the Isotopes’ game at Sugarland, Texas, on Wednesday.
Tovar began the season at Double-A Hartford but missed 2 1/2 months while on the injured list with a groin/hip flexor injury. The Rockies, knowing he had proven himself, were careful to bring Tovar back slowly.
The shortstop is already on the Rockies’ 40-man roster but the team will have to make room for him on its big-league roster.
Chris Denorfia, manager of the Double-A Yard Goats, said that Tovar is a player “who makes his teammates better.”
“The beauty of Ezequiel is that he’s great on both sides of the ball,” Denorfia said. “He’s a game-changer, both defensively and offensively.”
The slick-fielding Tovar slashed .318/.386/.546 with 13 home runs, 15 doubles, and 47 RBIs in 66 games at Double-A. He also stole 17 bases in 20 attempts.
Tovar made a huge splash during spring training, being named the Abby Greer Award winner as camp MVP when he hit .550 (11-for-20) with three homers and seven RBIs in 10 Cactus League games.
Manager Bud Black kept close tabs on Tovar’s minor-league season.
“He’s been fantastic,” Black said this summer. “We saw him in spring training, and the coaching staff and I were impressed. And the thing that has caught our attention was looking back at a lot of prospects. They didn’t do what Tovar is doing at Double-A.”
Tulowitzki, at age 21, hit .291 with 13 homers in 104 games for Double-A Tulsa in 2006. He made his major-league debut on Aug. 30 of that same season.
Tovar, from Maracay, Venezuela, made his professional debut at age 16 in the Dominican Summer League team.
Road to the Rockies
Troy Tulowitzki and Trevor Story debuted as young shortstops for the Rockies and became All-Stars. The Rockies hope Ezequiel Tovar will follow a similar path. He’ll be called up from Triple-A on Thursday and is scheduled to make his big-league debut against the Giants at Coors Field. A comparison of the three players’ paths to the majors:
Troy Tulowitzki* Drafted in the first round of the 2005 draft (seventh overall) out of Long Beach State at age 20.* 2005 High-A Modesto: Hit .266 with a .800 OPS and four home runs in 22 games.* 2006 Double-A Tulsa: Hit .291 with a .843 OPS and 13 homers in 104 games.* Major League debut: Aug. 30, 2006, at age 21-324 days. Hit .240 with a .609 OPS with one home run in 25 games.
Trevor Story* Drafted in the first round of the 2011 draft (45th overall) out of Irving (Texas) High School at age 18.* 2011 Rookie League Casper: Hit .268 with a .799 OPS and six home runs in 47 games.* 2012 low-A Asheville: Hit .277 with a .872 OPS and 18 home runs in 122 games.* 2013 high-A Modesto: Hit .233 with a .700 OPS and 12 home runs in 130 games.* 2014 low-A Tri-City, high-A Modesto, Double-A Tulsa: Hit .263 with a .841 OPS and 14 home runs over 108 games with three teams.* 2015 Double-A New Britain, Triple-A Albuquerque: Hit .279 with a .863 OPS and 20 home runs in 130 games with two teams.* Major League debut: April 4, 2016 at age 23-141 days. Hit .272 with a .909 OPS and 27 homers in 97 games. (A season-ending thumb injury in August cut his season short).
Ezequiel Tovar* Signed as an international free agent on Aug. 1, 2017, out of Maracay, Venezuela, at age 16.* 2018 Dominican Summer League: Hit .262 with a .723 OPS and no home runs in 35 games.* 2019 Rookie League Grand Junction, low-A Boise: Hit .253 with a .640 OPS and two home runs in 73 games with two teams.* 2020 minor league season canceled because of the pandemic.* 2021 low-A Fresno and high-A Spokane: Hit .287 with a .796 OPS and 15 home runs in 104 games with two teams.* 2022 Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque: Hit .317 with a .926 OPS, 14 home runs and 17 stolen bases over 60 games.* Scheduled to make his major league debut on Thursday at age 21 years and 52 days.
On DeckGiants TBA at Rockies RHP José Ureña (3-6, 5.49 ERA)1:10 p.m. Thursday, Coors FieldTV: AT&T SportsNetRadio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM
Urena is making his pitch to be in the Rockies’ rotation next season, should the Rockies decide to try and re-sign him. He was sharp in his last start, allowing the Cubs just one run over six innings at Wrigley Field. Urena gave up seven hits, struck out four and walked two. He faced the Giants on August 19 at CoorsField, picking up the win after pitching 6 2/3 innings and allowing three runs on three hits. In six career games (four starts) against San Francisco, he’s 2-1 with a 4.68 ERA.
The Giants have yet to announce their starting pitcher for Thursday’s game and it’s possible they will use an “opener” and use a number of relievers.
Trending: First baseman C.J. Cron entered Wednesday night’s game as one of just four players in the majors with 29 or more home runs and 100 or more RBIs. The others are Aaron Judge, Pete Alonso and Paul Goldschmidt.
At issue: Rookie catcher Brian Serven ended an 0-for-14 hitless streak on Monday but is hitting .167 (14-for-84) with one double, three home runs and seven RBIs in the second half of the season. He has no extra-base hits in September.
Pitching probables:Friday: Padres RHP Yu Darvish (15-7, 3.05) at Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (3-8, 6.05), 6:10 p.m., ATTRMSaturday: Padres LHP Sean Manaea (7-9, 5.18) at Rockies RHP Chad Kuhl (6-9, 5.48), 6:10 p.m., ATTRM
