The third time Eric Young Jr. beat out a groundball to shortstop last week, the conclusion was impossible to escape. He needs to be in the lineup, not a fascinating bench ornament.

A year ago, Young was fighting to make the team. Now, it's hard to see how the Rockies are better without him playing on a regular basis.

The question is, at who's expense?

Newbie manager Walt Weiss will have to decide whether he'd rather play Young or Todd Helton against left-handed starting pitchers. At least that's how I see it.