Colorado Rockies marquee offseason signee Ian Desmond has yet to play a game in his new threads; however, according to manager Bud Black, the 31-year-old has started swinging the bat for the first time since he had surgery to repair a fractured bone in his left hand.
“He hit today in the cage off the tee,” Black said ahead of Colorado’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants. “He will progress to soft toss, and from there we will throw him batting practice on the field. Should be all within the next few days.”
No official date has been given for a potential return for Desmond, but swinging a bat certainly signals that a return is on the horizon. Desmond has not faced any setbacks and is on track to return by the end of the month.
The Rockies signed Desmond to a five-year, $70-million-dollar contract over the offseason to play first base, a position he has never played in his professional career.
Desmond is a career .267 hitter. He had a batting average of .285 with 22 homeruns and 86 RBIs for the Texas Rangers last season.
While Desmond has been recovering, the Rockies have exploded out of the gate, compiling a National League-best 10 wins to start the season.
