SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Rangers pitcher Edinson Vólquez took a significant step forward in his second outing of the spring. Volquez delivered two scoreless innings, retiring six of seven hitters, in the Rangers' 4-4 tie against the Rockies on Monday.

Volquez missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery and showed he was healthy in his first start against the Cubs last Wednesday. But he also allowed four runs in one inning. Against the Rockies, Volquez showed he was healthy and that he can also be effective.

“Better than the first one,” Volquez said. “The first one I just threw hard to see if my arm is going to work. Today I decided to pitch a little better using my breaking balls, even behind in the count. I wanted to work on my breaking pitches to see how they were working in a real game. I threw a lot of curve balls, and my change was working.”

The fastball was working, too. He was able to get three ground balls throwing a sinker with movement down in the zone. The stadium radar gun also had him at 97 mph on his fastest pitch.

“I thought it was great,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “First pitch 96 [mph], and he maintained it the whole way. His command was better early in the counts. Overall, he felt great. Ball was coming out his hand good. It was encouraging.”

Thompson goes deep

In a battle of top prospects, Rangers outfielder Bubba Thompson hit a two-run home run off Rockies right-hander Peter Lambert in the seventh inning Monday. Thompson was brought over from Minor League camp as an extra player for the fifth time this spring, and this was his first Cactus League hit in seven at-bats.

“It is special man,” Thompson said. “I thank God giving me the ability to come out and play with these guys and show what I can do. First few games I was antsy, nervous a little bit, but after a few games and at-bats, kind of settled down a little bit.”

Thompson was the Rangers' first-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft and is the No. 5 prospect in the farm system, according to MLB Pipeline. Lambert was a second-round pick for the Rockies in 2015 and is now their No. 4 prospect.

DeShields returns Tuesday

Outfielder Delino DeShields is expected to be back in the lineup Tuesday when the Rangers play the Athletics in Mesa, Ariz. DeShields has been sidelined for three games with a sore right knee.

DeShields banged the knee against the center-field wall in the first Cactus League game against the Royals on Feb. 23. He tried playing through it but aggravated it Friday against the White Sox.

“They just don’t want something small to become something big,” DeShields said.

Farrell in concussion protocol

The Rangers reported that pitcher Luke Farrell is in concussion protocol in addition to dealing with a fractured jaw. Farrell was hit by a line drive off the bat of Jalen Miller while pitching against the Giants on Saturday.

Farrell is seeing a specialist, and they are waiting for the swelling to subside. At some point later this week, Farrell is expected to undergo surgery and then the Rangers will have a better idea of how long he will be sidelined. He will likely begin the season on the injured list.

The Rangers claimed Farrell on waivers this winter from the Angels and he came to camp as depth for the starting rotation as well as a possible long relief candidate.

Rangers beat

• Outfielder Hunter Pence remains limited to designated hitter duty because of a sore right shoulder. He is on a throwing program but did not participate in cutoff and relay drills with the other outfielders Monday morning.

• Shin-Soo Choo did participate in the cutoff drill. He has been dealing with irritation of the AC joint in his left shoulder but has no restrictions in his workout.

• Infielder Chase d’Arnaud, who has been sidelined with an oblique injury, is close to playing in a Cactus League game and competing for a spot as the Rangers' utility infielder.

Up next:

Left-hander Drew Smyly pitches against the Athletics at 2:05 p.m. (CT) Tuesday in Mesa. The game can be heard on the texasrangers.com webcast. Smyly pitched a scoreless inning in his first start against the Angels last Thursday.