DENVER — When Trevor Story felt his elbow tighten up May 27, the feeling was all too familiar to 2018.

Three years ago, after a throw to first went wrong, Story was placed on the injured list with an elbow strain. At the time, the Rockies were in a tight race with the Dodgers for the NL West title.

He was scared then, but it ended up not being as bad as anticipated. This time around, he knew what the feeling in his elbow indicated, and knew not to panic.

“I felt that it was OK,” he said. “Just a little flare-up.”

To be safe, the Rockies still did an MRI, which came back clean. He was placed on the injured list Saturday — although the injury isn’t serious, the team still felt it needed to add another player to the bench to give Story enough time to fully recover. He’s expected to be activated as soon as he is eligible to be Tuesday, before the Rockies start a new series against the Marlins.

Story is already back to baseball activities. He took ground balls, but did not throw, Tuesday, and hit and played catch. He has no pain, but is being cautious of how he feels and taking things day by day. He’s also sticking to his usual strict nutrition and hydration plans.

Story knows that his days with the Rockies could be limited. He is a free agent at the end of the season and is expected to be traded before the deadline.

“There’s nothing I can do to change what is going to happen or what is not going to happen,” he said. “Obviously it’s a big topic, but I don’t let it distract me.”

While injured, Story is able to take more time to help his younger teammates. Watching from the dugout instead of playing gives him a different perspective, and he isn’t afraid to give feedback to his teammates after the game. Even though the results haven’t been there, he said he feels this group has the potential to string things together.

“These are my guys,” he said. “We want to get it right.”