Glendale baseball player Jesse Meaux left in holding pattern

Jesse Meaux appeared to have things under control in his quest to enjoy a breakout season and possibly earn a promotion.

Meaux felt relatively pain free entering the season, leaving the right-hander excited about recording some quality pitching performances for the Asheville Tourists, the double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies in the South Atlantic League.

Things started out splendidly for the reliever before the pain resurfaced in his right shoulder during his last outing May 24 against the Rome Braves. Meaux encountered a strained shoulder that led to the setback he had looked to avoid.

“I got off to the start that I wanted,” said Meaux, a 2007 Glendale High graduate. “Things were going good and I had developed a sense of confidence with everything that had to go with pitching.

“I was keeping the ball down and doing a good job of locating it where I needed to. Then I felt some soreness in my last time out. It’s a tough break.”

Asheville opted to place Meaux, a former All-Area pick and UC Santa Barbara product, on the seven-day disabled list May 26. Unfortunately for Meaux, there were no signs of improvement. The ailment led to him being shut down by the Tourists for at least six weeks. He’s undergoing treatment, which include massaging of the shoulder and several arm exercises to build up strength and alleviate the soreness.

Meaux, who was taken by Colorado in the 19th round (588th overall) in the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, had previously battled with a biceps injury.

“It’s pretty frustrating not being able to compete,” said Meaux, who is 0-0 with one save and five holds in 16 appearances with Asheville. “The best thing I can do now is to stay motivated and help support my teammates.”

Meaux, 23, said the plan is to complete the six-week layoff before examining the possibility of throwing sometime in July.

Meaux had a team-best earned-run average of 0.90. He’s allowed two earned runs in 20 innings and struck out 26 and walked 17 in that span for a 1.25 WHIP.

In his last outing, Meaux went 1 1/3 innings and struck out three in a 6-0 home victory.

“Hopefully, I will be able to pitch for at least the majority of August,” Meaux said. “The team and I just want to make sure everything is OK.

“I still enjoy the opportunity of competing in the minor leagues.”