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Ryan Zimmerman Jersey put it behind

Ready or not, it's Adam Lind Jersey time for Ian Stewart to regain his place at third base for the Rockies.

With shortstop Troy Tulowitzki day-to-day with a tight right quad Athletics Andrew Bailey Jersey and center fielder Carlos Gonzalez working his way back after suffering a bruised right wrist on Sunday, the Rockies need production in their lineup. By calling up Stewart from Triple-A Colorado Springs and offering him a chance to find himself after a lost early part of the season, the Rockies are reaching into their not-too-distant past.

Stewart has been demoted twice to Triple-A Colorado Springs this season and is carrying a .064 (3-for-47) batting average in the Majors. Even more, Ty Wigginton has run with his opportunity at Authentic Michael Morse Jersey third base, hitting .280 with 13 home runs and 36 RBIs entering Tuesday. With the Rockies 41-44 and needing to do something in the final six games before the All-Star break -- all on the road -- it might not be the ideal time to insert a player with a zero as the first number in his batting average.

But rather than have Stewart sit around as a reserve during the temporary absences of two key Nationals Stephen Strasburg Jersey lineup cogs, manager Jim Tracy Adam Lind Jersey rearranged his lineup Tuesday against the Braves so Stewart would start at third and bat in the No. 7 slot. Wigginton was in the lineup Tuesday in Tulowitzki's cleanup spot, but he played left field.

The plan is for Stewart, who started on Authentic Stephen Strasburg Jersey Opening Day, to have a chance to regain his job, which would mean Wigginton can play his super-utility role, getting starts at several positions. It all depends on whether Stewart, 26, can be the player Colorado believed he would become when it selected him 10th overall in the 2003 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Despite hitting just .228 in 2009, Stewart hit 25 home runs and drove in 70 runs. He hit .256 last year with 18 homers and 61 RBIs.

"I don't know where it's going to go, but I certainly feel it's an ideal opportunity for a guy that has shown in the course of his career that this is not a new thing for him at the Major League level," Tracy said. "Being very, very successful for a period of time is not a new thing for him. In order to put a little bit of extra sock in our lineup, we Authentic Andrew Bailey Jersey needed to lean in this direction."

This season began to fall apart for Stewart when the first Blue Jays Adam Lind Jersey batter of the first Authentic Adam Lind Jersey Spring Training game Nationals Adam Lind Jersey hit a foul pop, and Stewart and Gonzalez, playing right field, collided. The bruised knee Stewart suffered kept him out of games for the early part Nationals Michael Morse Jersey of the schedule. Stewart also suffered a hamstring injury late in the spring. After considering sending him to Triple-A, the Rockies saw Stewart have Authentic Ryan Zimmerman Jersey some good games at the end of spring and on Opening Day kept him active.

The decision didn't work.

After being sent down on May 13 for the second time, Stewart, who has had difficulty with inside pitches at the Major League level since last season, opened his stance and lowered his hands. The changes were offered by hitting coach Carney Lansford during a session in Stewart's offseason hometown of Nationals Ryan Zimmerman Jersey Asheville, N.C., last winter, but Stewart said he didn't feel comfortable.

The changes appear to be still a work in progress. During the second trip to the Minors, Stewart started hot, but descended into a slump. He has had some good days recently, like a six-RBI game at Salt Lake City on June 26. Overall at Colorado Springs, he was hitting .269 with 14 home runs and 41 RBIs in 44 games, but with a concerning 49 strikeouts Michael Morse Jersey in 167 at-bats.

Last week, on the day the Rockies acquired second baseman Mark Ellis from Authentic Adam Lind Jersey the Athletics, general manager Dan O'Dowd said Stewart, as well as center fielder Dexter Fowler, hadn't made enough progress to be considered for a callup. But the injuries to Tulowitzki and Gonzalez, both of whom have made strides in recent weeks after early-season struggles, made turning to Stewart necessary.

Outfielder Cole Garner, who flied out Monday night in his Major League debut after being called up, was sent back to Colorado Springs. Garner and Stewart were teammates at La Quinta High School in Garden Stephen Strasburg Jersey Grove, Calif., in 2003.

Stewart said he is ready.

"I'm ready to come back in and give everything I have," Stewart said. "If I play and don't get any hits, I'll Ryan Zimmerman Jersey put it behind me and go to the next game. That was something that I struggled with before, feeling like I not going to get a hit. I can't play that way. I'm ready to just leave it all out there, do anything I can to help the team win, just give good at-bats and try to make all the plays.

"If I don't, at least I know that I was giving it my best."

The fact Stewart has produced before makes the Rockies believe he can snap into form.

"We need him to play like he's capable offensively," said Lansford, who watched Stewart hit in the batting cage Tuesday and saw progress with his new stance. "We know he can play great defense.

"We need somebody to step up. We need him to come play like we know he can play. That's the bottom line."



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