SAN DIEGO — What a strange year it has been for the Colorado Rockies at first base. 

Flash back to spring training when many within the franchise seemed to believe the answer to the revolving door at the position since Michael Toglia had finally filled Todd Helton’s retirement. However, six months later, Toglia’s latest demotion to Triple-A has plenty wondering if the clock is ticking on his time with the Rockies. 

Since Toglia’s struggles with strikeouts (his 39.2 percent strikeout rate leads all MLB players with more than 300 plate appearances this season) became a glaring obstacle for the Rockies this season, first base has been an experiment. 

Warming Bernabel took over for Toglia at the position on July 26 and zoomed into the headlines, hitting .462 with a .923 slugging percentage in his first six games and earning National League Player of the Week. The 23-year-old Bernabel cooled off in August, however, hitting just .227 during 101 plate appearances. 

Despite the drop in numbers, Bernabel was still the answer until he smashed into a gate chasing a foul ball behind first base on Monday in Los Angeles. He was removed from the game and entered concussion protocols. 

Toglia returned, but showed little had changed, striking out six times in his eight plate appearances over three games. With that, enter Blaine Crim as the next entrant in the current first base derby, which has seen eight different players this season fielding the position. 

So, what comes next at first base? Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt said it will be a mix of Crim and Bernabel the rest of the way, with an eye toward the future. 

“We’re going to take a look at Crim and see what he looks like these last two weeks,” Schmidt said. “Hopefully we’ll get Bernabel back and we’ll be taking a look at those two guys the rest of the way. 

“I like to think Charlie Condon is going to be the guy here in the near future. He’s finished up Double-A this weekend, and then he will go to the Arizona Fall League. We’ll evaluate where he’s at from that standpoint.” 

Schmidt said Condon’s participation in the AFL is designed to get Colorado’s second-ranked prospect the necessary at-bats to catch him up after suffering a non-displaced fracture of his left wrist that occurred in March while he was diving for a ball. 

“What people didn’t understand was what the wrist injury does to your strength, especially his left wrist and that bottom hand strength,” Schmidt said. “When we got into August, he started showing a little more power from that end. We’re hoping he has a good Fall League, and then we’ll bring him to spring training for the first time, and we’ll see where he’s at.” 

Until then, however, Crim and Bernabel will be auditioning for a role on the 2026 team. While Bernabel continues to heal from his concussion, Crim, picked up on waivers from the Texas Rangers on August 3, knows he has been given an opportunity. Now it’s a matter of trying not to do too much with it. 

“In Albuquerque, the staff was able to reassure me that just being me was enough and ride with that,” said Crim, who drove in five runs in his first two games with Colorado. “It was a constant affirmation. Not that I’ve never gotten that before, but it was nice to hear, and it was nice to come over to a new organization and that be the message.” 

No matter who is the new face at first base, Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said the message remains the same. 

“You just make them feel part of the team and that we’re all in this together. I think that anytime somebody feels alone or out on an island, like they have to do this, or they have to do this, and they have to do it by themselves, it usually doesn’t work out,” Schaeffer said. “Any time you can feel a part of the group, and you feel like people are pulling for you and that you belong, some of that stuff is thrown out the window.” 

Heading into Tuesday’s series opener against the Miami Marlins at Coors Field, the Rockies have 12 games left in the regular season. What happens at first base during that stretch could lay the groundwork for a fascinating 2026 spring training battle.