Randal Grichuk had to sit and watch as the Colorado Rockies got off to a 8-18 start, one of their worst in franchise history.

Grichuk had bilateral sports hernia surgery just days before spring training began, delaying his start of the season. He stayed behind as the team broke camp, needing to make up the six weeks of at-bats he missed. He finally joined them on Saturday for his first game of the season, returning to a lineup that’s desperate for a big power boost.

The Rockies only have 21 home runs so far, sixth-lowest in the MLB. C.J. Cron, an All-Star a year ago, is only hitting .223 with five home runs. Kris Bryant has three home runs, while Charlie Blackmon just has two. They need more power any way they can get it.

“It’s frustrating to watch the team struggle and not be able to help or do anything or even be here,” Grichuk said. “It’s good to be back and hopefully I can contribute.”

Grichuk wasn’t able to make a major difference in his first game — going 2 for 4 in the Rockies’ 11-4 loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday. But, he’s confident the changes he made this offseason, though, will change that.

He hit 19 home runs last season, commendable for some players but not for Grichuk. It was his lowest output in a full season since 2015, when Grichuk was in his first full major league season. The Rockies acquired him in March, 2022 counting on bigger numbers from him.

“The exit velocity was there last year but the launch angle wasn’t,” Grichuk said. “I wanted to figure out a way to put the ball in the air more and changed some things mechanically to do so. We’ll see how it plays out.”

After his surgery, though, his body automatically defaulted back to his old way of doing things. The changes weren’t second nature to him yet, and he had to keep reminding himself of the adjustments he made. Grichuk went 3-for-33 in his eighth rehab games with Triple-A Albuquerque as he tried to work out the kinks.

“There’s a lot of tinkering going on and a lot of trying to figure out what feels best and what I think I’ll be able to come up here and compete best with,” he said.