TUCSON — Rockies reliever Rafael Betancourt, the team’s top setup man, said today that he is suffering from shoulder tightness, further delaying his Cactus League debut.
The reliever first felt pain Wednesday morning following a live batting session on Tuesday. As a result, he scrapped a live batting practice session planned for today. He is hopeful he can play catch on Saturday.
“It’s not real good,” Betancourt said this morning. “My shoulder doesn’t feel right, it’s tight. It’s tough because I want to get out there.”
Betancourt was put on a relaxed program recently as a concession to the three-week illness he dealt with this winter. Betancourt said he believes the interruption in his offseason program led to the shoulder problem.
“I was trying to rush everything to get ready,” he said. “Usually, I don’t work out and throw (at the same time) leading up to spring. So now I just need to take a step back. I only need two weeks to get ready for a game, so I’m not worried yet.”
Footnotes
Outfielder Dexter Fowler will play his first game Saturday at Hi Corbett Field after recovering from flu-like symptoms. The Rockies play split-squad games today in the Phoenix area against the Giants and Angles. Jeff Francis throws against the Giants, while Ubaldo Jimenez pitches against the Angels.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
