BLACK OPTIMISTIC ABOUT DESMOND PLAYING IN APRIL

scottsdale, ariz.» Ian Desmond returned to the Rockies’ clubhouse Thursday, a day after surgeons repaired a broken bone in his left hand. Even with his left arm wrapped like a club, with a metal plate inserted under the skin, Desmond’s prognosis made manager Bud Black a bit cheery.

“Now the healing process begins,” Black said. “Mentally he’s doing great. We’re thinking that hopefully he will return to action in April . ... It was a break, and breaks take four to six weeks. He’ll need some game activity to get his legs underneath him, to get his timing down. Then it’s pretty much how the player feels and his readiness.”

A return in April, the first month of the season, is an optimistic timeline and a best-case scenario for Desmond, who was hit by a pitch last weekend. The Rockies said catcher Tom Murphy, who has a hairline fracture in his right arm, also is expected back in four to six weeks. Murphy doesn’t need surgery.

Tampa Bay outfielder Kevin Kiermaier suffered a broken metacarpal bone in his left hand last year. After surgery, he missed seven weeks of the season. Desmond, now on pain medication, should be able to throw, train and do some onehanded swing mechanics exercises