Cole Carrigg hits inside the park HR, triple in loss

Carrigg is at shortstop and hitting fifth after being held out of the starting lineup for two consecutive games for disciplinary reasons after making an inappropriate gesture towards fans in Atlanta over the weekend.

It’s a bit unclear based on remarks by Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer whether Carrigg is sitting out his second consecutive contest for disciplinary reasons. The 24-year-old rookie was benched for Sunday’s series finale against the Braves after making an inappropriate gesture towards fans earlier in the weekend. It’s worth noting that he pinch-hit during Sunday’s game, so he’s presumably available off the bench during Monday’s contest as well.

No word yet on whether or not it’ll be just a one-game punishment or if the 24-year-old outfielder could miss multiple games. Jake McCarthy will cover center field on Sunday while Hunter Goodman serves as the team’s designated hitter and Brett Sullivan gets a start behind the dish for the Rockies.

Mickey Moniak and Jordan Beck are in the outfield corners with Cole Carrigg in center field. Veen has started just nine times in 17 games since being called up earlier this month, hitting .250 (7-for-28) with two homers, seven RBI and one steal. The 24-year-old prospect figures to continue sitting against left-handed starters, but he should do enough damage against right-handers to be useful in deeper fantasy leagues, especially when the Rockies are at home.

Tovar was lifted from the contest after landing awkwardly while trying to make a diving catch in shallow left field in the fifth inning. He was 2-for-2 with a solo homer prior to departing. He’ll undergo further evaluation and imaging to determine the severity of the issue. It certainly looks like an injured list situation. It would likely be rookie Cole Carrigg taking over as Colorado’s shortstop in his absence.

Carrigg has hit a bit of a rough patch recently, hitting .230 (17-for-74) with zero homers and four steals across 20 games since the start of August. It’ll be Ezequiel Tovar handling shortstop with Mickey Moniak, Jake McCarthy and Zac Veen in the outfield for this one. The 24-year-old rookie offers enough all-around fantasy production to hang onto a roster spot in deeper mixed leagues, but can be cut loose in shallow formats with five weeks left on the calendar.

Tovar will take a break for the second time in the series against the D-backs. The 25-year-old will begin Wednesday’s game on the bench with Cole Carrigg handling shortstop duties.

Carrigg has batted third or higher in eight of nine games since the start of August, including seven straight since the trade deadline. The 24-year-old rookie possesses an exciting blend of fantasy-relevant skills and has gotten off to a phenomenal start in the majors, slashing .297/.385/.503 with five homers, 30 RBI and six steals in 196 plate appearances through 50 games. He’s going to be an extremely popular pick in fantasy drafts next spring.

Carrigg is now up to five stolen bases on the season. The 24-year-old has been excellent in his first year of MLB action, and the three-hit night ups his slash to .305/.399/.525 slash in his 41 games. It’s time to take Carrigg seriously if you haven’t already.

Carrigg didn’t start Friday in the first game after the break, sitting in favor of Tyler Freeman and Troy Johnston. Had he been in center, he probably would have done a better job on Spencer Steer’s inside-the-park homer in the eighth. Carrigg likely isn’t as good as his current .288/.371/.529 line, but it’s weird that the Rockies are still treating him as a part-timer when he’s outplaying most of the alternatives (Jake McCarthy being the exception) and he’s the one guy on their roster likely to be a part of the team’s 2028 outfield.