The Colorado Rockies were fearing the worst when lefthander Kyle Freeland bent down after tossing a pitch in an exhibition game and grabbed his shoulder.
So it was promising news Thursday when an MRI revealed no further damage than a strain in his pitching shoulder, which will sideline him for at least a month. Freeland will start the season on the injured list, but he could be back in the rotation a lot sooner than initially anticipated.
"The findings showed that based on the degree of the strain, it looked pretty promising for Kyle here moving forward," Rockies manager Bud Black said.