DENVER (AP) -- The Colorado Rockies made room for ace Ubaldo Jimenez's return from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday by sending third baseman Ian Stewart to Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Jimenez missed two starts with a cracked cuticle on his pitching thumb which prevented him from properly gripping the ball in the season opener, a poor outing against Arizona.

Stewart was mired in a 2-for-26 skid with two walks and 11 strikeouts in 12 games. He missed much of spring training with various injuries and ailments.

Rockies manager Jim Tracy said the only way to get Stewart going was to get him a lot of at-bats, and the only place to do that was in the minor leagues. He said he encouraged Stewart not to view this as a demotion.

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