2017 has been a rough ride for Colorado Rockies ace Jon Gray. From the get-go, things got bumpy for The Gray Wolf, who quickly saw his Spring Training cut short due to an injury to his big left toe. From there, the snowball effect took place as just three starts into the regular season campaign Gray found himself on the disabled list due to a stress fracture in his left foot, an injury that stemmed from the toe issue earlier in the spring.

Now, two months removed from the stress fracture, Gray is closing in on a return to the Rockies. On Tuesday Gray threw live batting practice, marking the first time he has been able to move entirely laterally without any pain or discomfort.

Following the live throwing session, Gray was ecstatic and eager to continue forward on the road towards a return.

“It felt really good to get back on the mound again,” Gray said. “To actually see hitters in there, it was a little different. The more and more it went on, the more and more it felt like a game. I’m heading in the right direction.

“Everything is looking like it’s shaping up the right way. I just can’t wait to get out there.”

While the loss of Gray was impactful for the Rockies, the team has managed to thrive without their anchor in the rotation. As it stands, the Rockies have compiled their best start in franchise history, led by a trio of rookie pitchers with fellow rookie Jeff Hoffman recently added to the mix.

While the Rockies have experienced success with Gray out, the club is eagerly awaiting his return.

Gray’s wicked fastball and deceiving breaking pitches have front-of-the-line starter written all over them. Gray flashed his potential last season, with his high point being a complete game, four-hit, 16 strikeout performance at 20th and Blake against the San Diego Padres.

Starts like those come few and far between for any Major League pitcher; however,  Gray has the potential to establish himself as one of the more dominant, young starters in the game today.

As of now, it’s all about getting back into shape for Gray. His arm feels good, and he seemed to move around the diamond with ease, meaning that a return should be coming in the not so distant future.

“Jon threw the ball fine,” Manager Bud Black said following the session. “Takeaway was sort of what we’ve expected. We’ve seen Jon now for three weeks throwing … The arm looked great. Now, it’s just a matter of getting Jon into baseball shape, getting his legs underneath him, getting the strength back in the calf, him feeling confident in the foot. It takes a little bit of time, but he’s off to a good start.”

While no hard timetable has been given, a return is on the horizon. For now, all that’s left for Gray to do it seems is hit the weights and get ready to return to a ball club playing at their best in years.

“I just want to get back and be an impact on the team in a positive way,” Gray said. “It’s a good thing to jump back into with the guys playing like this, and the young pitchers have stepped up and are doing their job, so it’s more reason to get back.”