Adam Eaton staying patient while anticipating return

With his return to the lineup still at least two weeks away, Adam Eaton’s main focus is patience.

Though projected to be the Diamondbacks’ everyday centerfielder and leadoff man, Eaton began the season on the disabled list with a left elbow strain he suffered midway through spring training.

So far, eagerness has been the hardest thing to cope with during the 24-year-old’s DL stint.

“(On a scale of 1-10), I was a 10 in eagerness the day I got hurt,” Eaton said before Friday’s game against the division-rival Rockies. “It’s tough. As a rookie, on Opening Day you want to be out there contributing but instead you’re on the disabled list.”

And while the Diamondbacks’ outfield has been solid in Eaton’s absence, his skill on the bases is sorely missed. Entering play on Friday, no team has been less efficient at stealing bases than the Diamondbacks, who are tied for both the fewest stolen bases (5) and the most times caught stealing (7). Gerardo Parra and A.J. Pollock account for all of the team’s stolen bases.

In 319 minor league games, Eaton swiped 98 bases. Last season, he tallied 44 of those while only being caught stealing 11 times in separate stints with Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno.

“When I get back, I just want to do what I do,” Eaton said. “I want to try to get back in the lineup, be a catalyst at the top of the order. Get on base, wreak some havoc, score some runs.”