DENVER -- Jon Gray took a significant step towards returning from a stress fracture in his left foot on Sunday, and did so without the protective boot he's been sporting for more than a month.
Gray threw his first bullpen session without the immobilizing boot on Sunday morning before the Rockies faced the Cardinals at Coors Field, tossing 30 to 35 pitches in what manager Bud Black described as a live session.
"He was turning it loose," Black said. "His arm is in good shape."
Gray will begin fielding exercises this week while continuing to throw scheduled bullpen sessions over the next week or two, though the primary objective for the right-hander will be increasing his lower-body strength, Black said.