Rockies Put Jeff Francis On DL, Smith Moves Into Rotation

Just as Jeff Francis thought that he was over the hump, he showed up at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque feeling stiff and sore. The lefty had just completed his best spring outing on Thursday, allowing Rockies fans to breathe a sigh of relief. His velocity was back up to where it needed to be and his changeup was hitting its spots. Unfortunately for the Rockies, he may have pushed a little too hard.The injury moves Greg Smith into the starting rotation and allows Joe Beimel to have a spot in the bullpen when the season begins on Monday. Francis joins closer Huston Street on the disabled list to start the season. Any other year in Rockies history and these injuries would immediately remove the club from any sort of contention talk, at this point however, both injuries seem like they can be overcome.Never has a Colorado Rockies squad been so chalk full of depth. Instead of hoping for the best with the Francis injury, this Rockies club simply slides a guy like Smith right into the rota...