The Colorado Rockies are officially in uncharted waters when it comes to Hunter Goodman, but there’s a plan in place to keep those waters as smooth as possible over the final month of the season.

Goodman is in the midst of not only a career year, but also one of the best all-around campaigns for a Rockies catcher in franchise history. Batting .275 with 26 home runs, his 53 extra-base hits are the most ever for a Colorado catcher and he needs just two more home runs to tie Wilin Rosario’s 28 homers he belted in 2012, setting the standard for power behind the plate.

That mark is certainly in reach for the 25-year-old Goodman, but there is a bigger picture in play that Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer is watching.

In his first season primarily playing catcher, Goodman logged 86 games this season behind the plate heading into Saturday. That’s almost as much as Goodman has played behind the plate during the rest of his career in Denver and the minor leagues, including 23 at catcher for the Rockies in 2024 and 80 games in four minor league seasons.

As Colorado’s biggest offensive weapon this season, keeping Goodman fresh for the final month of the season is a key for not only his individual numbers but also the Rockies’ overall success.

That plan for Goodman is evolving one homestand and road trip at a time, with Schaeffer laying out his vision for Goodman’s playing time for the stretch of games to come.

“The communication with me from him has been amazing,” Goodman said. “Every first day of a homestand or road trip, he’ll sit down with me and tell me, ‘I have a schedule for you of the days I want you to be in there. Maybe this day I’ll give you an off day or you can DH (be the team’s designated hitter). You just tell me how your body is feeling.’”

Schaeffer said that talk is something he has done with his catchers during his time serving as a minor league manager in the Rockies organization, so it was a natural continuation when he took over the team on May 11 following the dismissal of Bud Black.

“It’s a no-brainer for me,” Schaeffer said. “You give (the catcher) the schedule for the week, and this is the way you go. It makes sense with Hunter because this is uncharted territory for him. It’s good for him that he can plan out when he needs to maybe get an extra lift in and it’s good for Braxton (Fulford, Colorado’s other catcher on the roster) as well.”

With just 26 games left in the season after the Rockies wrap up a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs on Sunday afternoon, Goodman understands the chances to end the season on a positive note are dwindling. A third consecutive 100-loss season will happen, but there are still moments this year that could set the stage for success in 2026 and beyond.

“I think you’ve seen over the last month that the baseball has been better,” Goodman said. “I think guys are learning and maturing a little bit, and that includes me as well. I’m still pretty young so we’re all trying to get our feet wet and figure out how to play at the big-league level, but I think the guys in here are doing a great job.”

With an average age of 26.5 years old, Colorado’s roster is the third youngest among MLB’s 30 teams. That roster has undergone plenty of changes as well this season, with 13 different Rockies rookies making their MLB debuts this season, setting a new franchise record.

Youth is being served at 20th and Blake, and Goodman sees himself being a part of a core that could turn the franchise’s direction around.

“These young guys, and I’m included in that, every day, we’re going out there to win that game,” Goodman said. “As the young guys, we take pride in that.

“You don’t just look at the record. You just go out there and play that night. That’s the only thing that matters at that point in time.”

With a 16-23 mark after the All-Star break following Friday’s loss to the Cubs, improvement can be seen after a 22-74 record before the Midsummer Classic. Focusing on the horizon with more wins and better days ahead is important, even in these uncharted waters.

“There are higher expectations on how we finish this year,” Goodman said. “After how we started the second half, finishing strong as a team is important.

“For me, I just want to keep doing the same thing I’ve been doing the whole season. I don’t want to slow down. I want to try to finish strong.”