The Rockies have placed first baseman Todd Helton on the disabled list with an ailing back, according to The Rocky Mountain News. He has been playing through lower-back inflammation for the last three weeks. "We don't think it is too serious," trainer Keith Dugger said. "We just want the area to calm down." Helton has suffered through a slump that coincided with the injury. He was hitting .297 when the Rockies arrived in Chicago on June 13; he had gone 8-for-56 since as his average fell to .268.