Ezequiel Tovar was expected to have a breakout season in fantasy baseball in 2025 after hitting .269 with a .764 OPS, 26 homers, 78 RBI and 83 runs scored across 157 games in the 2024 season. However, things couldn’t have gone any worse for the Venezuelan shortstop, who took a massive step backward in 2025.
Tovar was limited to 95 games in 2025 due to hip and oblique injuries, and his numbers were utterly disappointing. He hit .253, down from 2024, and his other numbers also regressed.
He had a .694 OPS with 9 homers, 33 RBI, 44 runs scored and 5 stolen bases across 95 games and 390 plate appearances. Is that regression a sign of things to come for Tovar in 2026, or will he be able to bounce back and move closer to what he posted in 2024?
Ezequiel Tovar’s Strengths, Weaknesses and 2026 Fantasy Baseball Projections
Tovar has proven he can hit for power. If his numbers from the 2025 season are prorated to 162 games, he should’ve ended the season with 15 homers, 56 RBI and 75 runs scored. That’s decent production, but again, it’s nowhere near what other shortstops could bring to the table.
After playing 150-plus games in 2023 and 2024, Tovar has proven he can stay healthy and be an everyday player. He’ll need to prove that again in 2026, and if the tweaks he made to his swing are effective, then he has strong bounce-back potential. But even in that scenario, don’t expect him to be a fantasy star overnight.
As things stand now, Tovar isn’t seen as a starter at shortstop ahead of the 2026 fantasy baseball season, ranking as the 25th-best shortstop with an ADP in the 220–230 range. Essentially, that means that he’s a player worth targeting in the later rounds of your drafts, regardless of your format.
He can add some value as depth at the position, but the fact that he isn’t eligible at other positions complicates his versatility as well.
Considering his injury history, the fact that he plays a position that’s absolutely loaded with talent, and his limited eligibility at other positions, the verdict is clear.
Tovar could very well go undrafted in most formats outside of the deepest leagues, and even in those settings, he should be considered a backup and not much else. He has bounce-back potential, especially playing at Coors Field, but the early-season outlook isn’t encouraging for the Venezuelan infielder.
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