Tulowitzki passes early test on basepaths

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki let his willingness to test his surgically repaired left groin on the bases speak for himself on Saturday.

Tulowitzki played 2 1/2 innings in the Rockies' Cactus League opener against the D-backs at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick and finished 1-for-2. He had an RBI groundout in the first inning, and ran the bases after a third-inning single.

"Walt [Weiss, the Rockies' new manager] gave me the option if I were to get a hit in my last at-bat, would I like to stay on the bases and I said yeah, I wanted to," Tulowitzki said. "I got a base hit, just went to the next base, got to run a little bit, and ran to third. It was nice to be out there on the bases. I didn't want to come out and any questions to be raised."

Tulowitzki did not have any defensive chances in the 11-2 victory. He will not play play Sunday against the D-backs but said he would be fine to play Monday.

The plan is to gradually increase the intensity of his baserunning, but he didn't restrict his swing at all.

"I let it go up there," Tulowitzki said. "On that one swing and miss, [D-backs catcher Miguel] Montero said, 'I see you're feeling good.' That was cool for him to notice. There was no hesitation."

After rain and snowy slush hit the Scottsdale area Tuesday and Wednesday, crews at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick had to put in hours just to have the field presentable at game time.

"I didn't know how hard they had to work and how bad the field was until one of the grounds crew guys came up to me and said, 'It's a little soft at shortstop,'" Tulowitzki said. "I said, 'Woah.' It was soft but it was playable, but it wasn't terrible. No reason to come out of the game."

"There were some nerves but not because I didn't think my leg was OK. It was because the first day of Spring Training there's always some nerves."