Todd Helton spoke about the importance of health, about how hard it is to perform when hurt.
“He needs to get rest and get right,” Helton said.
The first baseman was talking about pitcher Jeff Francis. He might as well have been describing his own plight. The pain not getting any better in his back, Helton, as signs pointed to Thursday, was placed on the disabled list today.
Joe Koshansky, who was named to the Triple-A All-Star team after leading all minor-league players in RBIs for much of this season, will replace him.
Helton, 34, has played in all but five of the Rockies’ 86 games. His chronic back condition, which first appeared in 2002, has gotten substantially worse over the past three weeks. He has gone 14-for-77 in his last 22 games, dropping his average from .295 to .266.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
