Todd Helton (back) took batting practice and participated in normall baseball activities on Monday.

Helton is out of the lineup for the sixth straight game Monday, but similar to his teammate Troy Tulowitzki, he is getting closer to returning. Jordan Pacheco will make another start at first base Monday against the Padres.

Todd Helton (back) is out of the starting lineup for the third straight game Friday.

Helton remains sidelined with back stiffness and won't return to the starting lineup until he is 100 percent. Jordan Pacheco will start in his place at first base Friday against the Giants.

Todd Helton left Tuesday's game in the sixth inning after his ailing back "tightened up a little bit."

Helton had missed six of seven games before returning to the starting lineup Tuesday night. While Rockies manager Jim Tracy is calling the veteran first baseman day-to-day, we wouldn't trust him in fantasy leagues.

Todd Helton (back) is in the Rockies' starting lineup Tuesday night against the Brewers.

Helton missed six out of the seven previous games with lingering pain in his back. He was given a cortisone shot over the weekend and has no plans to shut it down for the season. That being said, we would look for more reliable options in fantasy leagues.

Todd Helton (back) sat out Sunday for the sixth time in the Rockies' last seven games.

Helton has been bothered by back issues for much of the 2011 season. He was given a cortisone injection over the weekend and will aim to return to the Rockies' lineup this week, but the veteran first baseman might only be a part-time player down the stretch if the back problems persist.

Todd Helton returned to action on Friday September 9.

Todd Helton is not in the Rockies' lineup Monday against Arizona due to stiffness in his back.

Helton is also questionable to play Tuesday against the Diamondbacks. The veteran first baseman has a cool .859 OPS, 14 homers and 69 RBI through 122 games this season.

Todd Helton went 3-for-6 with a homer and two RBI as the Rockies beat the Dodgers in 13 innings on Saturday.

The Rockies overcame a two-run deficit with Helton's help in the 12th and won it on a Dexter Fowler single in the 13th. Helton has 14 homers and 65 RBI for the season. He's hit in nine straight games.

Todd Helton is not in the Rockies' starting lineup Thursday against the Reds.

Just a scheduled day off for the veteran first baseman. Ty Wigginton will make the start at first base Thursday while Chris Nelson plays the hot corner.

Todd Helton went 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored on Monday, helping the Rockies to a 10-7 win over the Reds in Cincinnati.

He took Sam LeCure deep for a two-run bomb in the fifth inning. Helton has struggled since the All-Star break, but did manage to up his second-half average from .239 to .263 this evening. The Rockies will be facing Reds lefty Dontrelle Willis on Tuesday, whom Helton is just 3-for-13 lifetime against.

Todd Helton drove in three runs with a homer, a single and a groundout Wednesday against the Phillies.

Helton had been somewhat cold since the All-Star break, with just a .236 average and one homer in 55 at-bats. Still, the RBI total keeps building: he's driven in 57 runs in 98 games this season. Last year, he had 37 RBI in 118 games.

Todd Helton hit a two-run homer in Colorado's win over the Braves on Wednesday.

Now hitting .324 on the season, Helton has been particularly hot in July, batting .396 with seven extra-base hits and 16 RBI through his first 17 games. It's fair to say no one saw this coming after Helton posted a .728 OPS in 2010.

Todd Helton went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI against the Brewers on Saturday.

The last hit brought the Rockies to within one against John Axford in the ninth, but it wasn't quite enough. Helton is hitting .409 with 12 RBI in 13 games this month.

Todd Helton is not in the Rockies' lineup for Thursday's game against the Braves.

We're assuming he's just getting the day off with the quick turnaround. Jason Giambi will make the start at first base Thursday and bat third against veteran right-hander Tim Hudson.

Todd Helton plated the Rockies' lone run with a fourth-inning single in their 4-1 loss to the Braves on Monday.

It was a dark night for the Rockies, who lost Troy Tulowitzki to injury while banging out just four hits. Helton now has five RBI through his first four July games.

Todd Helton went 4-for-5 with a double, run scored and two RBI in Colorado's 9-0 win over the Royals at home on Friday.

The multi-hit game was Helton's third straight, upping his average from .304 on June 27 to .318. The extra-base hit was his first in 15 games, however.

Todd Helton will not be in the starting lineup Wednesday.

It's just a day of maintenance for the veteran first baseman. With Thursday's off day, he'll have two days in a row off before the series against the Yankees.

Todd Helton is batting .322/.429/.525 in 70 plate appearances since the start of June.

Helton finally has good health on his side and has been raking pretty much all season. The 15-year veteran has nine home runs and 31 RBI in 63 games played.

Todd Helton saw the ball well on Wednesday evening, going 4-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, three runs scored, a walk and an RBI in Colorado's 5-3 win over the Padres.

Tonight was the first time all season Helton reached base five times in a game, and helped up his triple slash to .316/.384/.534 through 198 plate appearances. He's put his poor 2010 campaign behind him in style.

Todd Helton is likely to remain in the fifth spot in the batting order going forward.

Manager Jim Tracy has considered moving Helton into the three-spot, but sounds loath to mess with his success. "This guy is in such a good place," Tracy said. "If I ventured into that and now, by doing so, this guy starts to go the other way a little bit, then I'm really second-guessing myself. I would end up compromising a guy who's having a heck of a comeback season for himself." Helton followed up a .300 April average with a .313 May one, and looks set to hold his value in deeper mixed leagues going forward.