"Barely a week into the season, Todd Helton was approaching worry mode with his troublesome lower back. But lo and behold, the veteran first baseman didn't get there Sunday morning.

Helton said Saturday that he would begin worrying the next morning if the soreness in his lower back hadn't subsided.

But he woke up feeling better, leaving him optimistic about a quick return to the Rockies' lineup.

"I feel a lot better," Helton said.

When asked if he were on a day-to-day basis, Helton said, "Absolutely."

Helton hasn't played since Thursday's series opener against the Pirates. Said Helton, when asked if he had a target date for his return: "I don't know. Depends on how safe you want to play it. They said they would make the decisions, but I feel a lot better."

Helton's situation is on his teammates' minds. To wit: A few minutes after he arrived in the clubhouse, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki visited him at his locker, giving him an impromptu back rub.

Rockies manager Jim Tracy said of Helton's situation: "The spasming let go quite a bit. . . . So we're very hopeful over the course of the next day or so that we can get him over the hump and eventually get him back out there.""