The Colorado Rockies enter the 2026 season searching for consistency across much of its lineup.
For the Rockies last season, most positions were a revolving door. Swapping out struggling players, testing out prospects, and dealing with player injuries all contributed to the overall lack of stability. As the organization continues to evaluate young talent and reshape the roster, several positions remain in flux.
One of the most volatile in 2025 was Designated Hitter, but that could potentially be the most solvable
in 2026. Additionally, a mix of new players and up-and-comers lends some promise to the team’s bench.
Colorado’s DH Usage in 2025
Last year, 10 different players started at least five games at DH and another 12 started four or fewer, with most serving as a short-term solution for one or two games. Around the division, teams took a range of approaches to their DH role, but most relied more heavily on a single player or two than the Rockies did:
- The Los Angeles Dodgers, blessed with a generational two-way talent, are an obvious outlier here. They started Shohei Ohtani at DH for 158 games and (obviously) didn’t need much else.
- The San Diego Padres used Gavin Sheets as their go-to DH (64 games). Luis Arráez pitched in 29 games, and a slew of 15 others (including Manny Machado, Yuli Gurriel, and Xander Bogaerts) took fewer than 20 games at the position.
- The San Francisco Giants primarily went with a tandem at DH, starting Wilmer Flores for 84 games and Rafael Devers for 60 games. They swapped in just over a dozen other starters, but none of them exceeded 10 games.
- The Arizona Diamondbacks were closest to the Rockies in DH usage, mixing in 15 starters over the course of the year, with nine of them starting five or more games.Even so, their rotation was anchored by two players: Pavin Smith (48 games) and Randal Grichuk (42 games), whereas the Rockies didn’t have a single player start over 40 games at the position.
The Rockies used Hunter Goodman the most (39 games), followed by Tyler Freeman (28 games), Yanquiel Fernández (26 games), and Kyle Farmer (24 games). Between the high number of different starters and the fact that not one of those starters exceeded 40 games, the Rox lacked reliability at the position. And not only did they not have a common starter, the starters that they did use were inefficient. The Rockies were dead last in DH Positional fWAR in 2025, and were one of just two teams with negative fWAR there.
Absent the emergence of a stellar hitter, it’s likely that the Rockies will still use a rotational DH setup moving forward. But one small metric that could help with both reliability and efficiency is finding someone to start at DH for at least 40 but ideally 50 or 60 games. Enter Mickey Moniak…
Hey, Mickey!
Moniak started 72 games in right field in 2025 on top of 15 at DH. His hitting was the best of his career and served as a solid contribution to the team. He was third on the team in hits and batting average, first in triples, and second in home runs and RBI.
Defensively, he left something to be desired. He was below the league fielding percentage at all outfield positions and posted a negative defensive rWAR. While he could still offer some spot starts in the outfield, he is projected to be the team’s primary DH starter, where a shift in emphasis to batting could be a natural fit.
That option looks even more promising given Moniak’s spring. Across 15 at-bats, Moniak is hitting .333 with two homers, three RBI, and a 1.324 OPS, even with a rough stretch of outings as of late. His offensive stability could provide a solid floor for the Rockies offense.
The DH Platoon
Hunter Goodman was the most productive DH by rWAR (3.6), contributing 39 games there on top of 104 as Catcher. With that level of production as a batter, he could pop in for more DH appearances when he’s not behind the plate and when Moniak shifts from DH to the field in 2026.
Looking across the rest of the outfield, Jordan Beck or Brenton Doyle are prime candidates to take a few games at DH, while Moniak offers them a break from the field. Neither had much experience there in 2025, with Beck taking seven games (0.9 rWAR) and Doyle taking just four (0.1 rWAR). Their DH experience notwithstanding, both have power that could spark the offense.
Freeman is another likely fit to finish top five in DH opportunities. As noted above, he took the third most games at the position last year. Given the versatility he offers generally, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take another 20-plus games at the position.
Building the Bench
Speaking of versatility, the Rockies will rely on a few key pieces and surprise gems to contribute depth across the board. Colorado heads into the season with a mix of outfield options, some new infield contributors, and prospects to evaluate all around. With that comes a recipe for a handful of folks to provide relief off the bench throughout the year at a number of positions.
First and foremost may, again, be Freeman. He proved to be a valuable contributor in many areas, playing primarily in right field but demonstrating his natural ability as an infielder, finding himself at second and third base over the course of the year. A true utility player, Freeman provides valuable bench production in the infield, outfield, and DH.
With a scorching hot camp, T.J. Rumfield is going to make for some very competitive roster decisions. Acquired in a trade from the Yankees, the prospect is pushing to make the major league roster sooner rather than later. Edouard Julien, another offseason acquisition, is projected to be the starter at first base for now, but Rumfield could push that or at the very least earn a spot on the 40-man roster as a solid bench piece.
Another piece of the first base and utility puzzle is Blaine Crim. Crim took a stretch of games in 2025, but begins 2026 on the 60-day IL for an oblique strain.
Ryan Ritter will be another mainstay off the bench for the Rockies. After posting a strong rookie season, Ritter is seeing the ball well in camp. In 30 at-bats, he’s batted .400 with 12 hits, six RBI, and three drawn walks. He’s had a share of strikeouts that he’ll look to clean up, but comes into the season looking strong. He covered shortstop during Tovar’s injury, so he can fill in there as needed, as well as covering second base.
Another offseason pickup that adds some flexibility is Willi Castro. Few positions are off limits for Castro who played everything but catcher and first base in 2025. While he’ll look to start at second, the ability to place him anywhere in the infield or outfield frees up a ton of player mobility across the rest of the roster, giving other bench guys a chance to slot in.
Prospect Pipeline
As was the case in 2025, we should see a handful of MLB debuts this year, as well as appearances from players who worked between the majors and minors. Some exciting prospects could take the leap and blossom into bench roles or steal a spot in the starting lineup:
- Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP) is one of the most intriguing prospects heading into the regular season. After bulking up in the offseason and flashing both power and improvements in consistency in spring training, He’ll likely find his way into the outfield platoon as 2026 wears on.
- WIth the Julien and Rumfield competition at first base, Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) also waits in the wings. Throughout spring, he’s slotted into the outfield as well, so he’ll look to mix in across the roster throughout the season.
- Roc Riggio (No. 14 PuRP) will likely spend the majority of the season in the minors, but could look to make a push into the infield rotation by the end of the season.
Closing Thoughts
The 2026 season will be one of evaluation for the Rockies, with the hope that stability will emerge as long-term options are identified across the field. In the meantime, the DH spot represents one of the clearest opportunities for the organization to create some structure within an otherwise fluid lineup.
If Moniak can claim the bulk of starts at DH while showing the offensive growth he demonstrated in 2025, it would give Colorado a reliable baseline at the position. From there, supplementing his starts in the outfield with DH appearances from Freeman, Beck, or Doyle when matchups or rest days call for it could help the Rockies climb from the bottom of the barrel in DH efficiency.
As for the bench, Colorado will continue with experimentation, but hopefully the sort that is aligned with a new guiding direction from leadership. Even if there is fluidity across bench support, the hope is that it will lead to the identification of long-term solutions. Ideally, that process will strike a balance between giving younger players and pipeline prospects playing time, while leaning on versatile vets that can keep the roster functional on a day-to-day basis.
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