All spring, Daniel Bard was searching for something seemingly simple.

To feel like himself.

That didn’t come for him. And after feeling off all during camp, including while playing Team USA at the World Baseball Classic, Bard made the decision to put himself on the injured list with anxiety on Opening Day.

He could have played through it, but he doesn’t think he would have been able to get back to feeling normal as quickly as he did if he had.

He returned on April 19, just 21 games into the season. The Rockies eased him in, putting them closer in the eighth inning of a 12-2 game. Bard breezed through the low-stress situation on nine pitches.

On Saturday, the Rockies gave him his first real test: the seventh inning of a run-one game against the Phillies, the defending National League champions.

Bard made it through clean, falling behind in counts but allowing only one hit and no runs. He struck out two.

“My body’s free,” he said. “It wasn’t free there for a little while.”

Getting back to feeling that way has been gradual for Bard. He took things one day at a time and didn’t set a targeted date for his return, so he wouldn’t feel pressure to come back before he was ready. He stayed with the team while he was on the injured list, throwing bullpen sessions every few days before heading out on a quick rehab assignment.

He felt a little bit better every time he took the mound, growing more confident in his ability to change speeds and move arm slots.

He’s still not back to the level he was a year ago. His velocity — one of the first noticeable signs during spring training that he was off — is 2-3 mph below where it can be, topping at 96 mph instead of 99.9. The Rockies will continue to evaluate him, step by step, before moving him back into his closer role.

“My body is getting back in sync,” Bard said. “That’s a lot better than I was 10 days ago. I think there’s more in the tank.”

Bard is not the first player to need time away from anxiety, and there have been two more since him: the Tigers’ Austin Meadows and the A’s Trevor May. The designation is available for a reason, Bard said, and he’s hoping more players who need it will use it.

“It’s not about stress. This is a stressful job,” Bard said. “When you get to a point where something is not right, where it’s affecting your ability to do your job on a daily basis, that’s what it’s for. You don’t want to see 100 guys go on — I don’t think you will. Realistically, it should probably happen to three guys in every clubhouse every year, if everyone’s being honest and proactive about it.”