SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Jon Gray says his sore left big toe is no big deal.
That means the Rockies can breathe easier knowing that the big right-hander, in line to be the opening-day starter on April 3 at Milwaukee, is not expected to miss any time.
“It’s just a little bit sore,” Gray said Saturday morning. “It’s getting better day by day. We are just going to take it easy and try to get it back to 100 percent as quick as we can.”
Manager Bud Black also was optimistic.
“Hopefully, this is something that resolves itself fairly quickly,” Black said. “I was in (the training room Friday) and the doctors were yanking and pushing and pulling. They didn’t really elicit any pain. It was weird — sore in certain movements, but most movements, he’s fine.”
Gray abruptly departed the mound during the third inning of Friday’s Cactus League game against San Francisco. He had mastered the Giants for the first two innings, allowing no hits and throwing only eight pitches in the first inning and 13 in the second. But the Giants rocked him in the third, rapping seven consecutive hits, including a three-run homer by Brandon Belt.
“I came out because they don’t want me changing anything,” Gray said. “They don’t want me putting pressure on the other side of my foot and changing my throwing mechanics. I think that’s what (the Rockies) were most concerned about. But pitching and everything felt fine.”
Gray said his poor performance was not directly related to his sore toe.
“That was just a bad inning. A really bad inning,” he said. “I just didn’t locate my pitches.”
Gray said he expects to stay on track and work his way up to 90 pitches before the Rockies break camp this Saturday.
“I think we are going to get as many innings as we can in, so there should be no problem doing that,” he said. “I was most upset that I didn’t get my work in (Friday).”
Added Black: “We’re going to scale back the pitcher’s in-between (starts) workouts, like the cardio — he can get that on the bike or some other method. He’s being fitted for orthotics and we’ll do things to protect it.”
Cardullo named MVP. First baseman and corner outfielder Stephen Cardullo was named winner of the 14th annual Abby Greer Award, presented to the Rockies’ spring training MVP. In 25 games, Cardullo has batted .340 with three doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs. He became the second player in franchise history to hit two grand slams in spring training. Cardullo, who is not on the 40-man roster, is battling to make the major-league club.
The award was created in 2004 in honor and remembrance of Abby Greer, a special Rockies fan from Boulder. In August 2002, at the age of 6, Greer lost her life in an accident near Coors Field. The 2016 Abby Greer winner was shortstop Trevor Story.
Roster moves. The club reassigned three players to minor-league camp: right-handed pitcher Matt Carasiti; lefty Jerry Vasto; and catcher Jan Vázquez. The Rockies still have 41 players in big-league camp, including eight nonroster players.
