Bard back in majors after 7 years

Daniel Bard never ran from the mental hiccups that derailed a promising pitching career with the Boston Red Sox.

Through a half-dozen comeback attempts since his last appearance in the big leagues in 2013, Bard couldn’t rediscover his control and finally settled into a job last year as a player mentor and mental skills coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In addition to offering advice or just a shoulder to players, he’d shag fly balls and play some catch during warm-ups. Soon, players began telling him his throws were pretty nasty and wondered why he wasn’t on a big league mound himself.

Intrigued, Bard got back on a mound in January in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“I was throwing mid-90s, throwing strikes with ease, and I hadn’t done that in eight years,” Bard said. “So, that was when I was like, `OK, I think I’m going to give this serious consideration.’”

Rockies manager Bud Black informed Bard, 34, on Friday that he’d made the roster.

“It’s going to be a great story when he comes back and pitches well,” Black said. “We’re optimistic.”

Even though it’s been more than seven years since he last pitched in the majors, Bard said he’s not even thinking about that first batter he’ll face when the 60-game season gets under way later this month.

“I’m sure there’ll be a little more adrenaline once we get the real thing going next week, but I’ll just take it one step at a time and trust that it’s going to be similar to what’s been going on,” Bard said.