2-year-old son of Rockies' Axford bitten twice in the foot by rattlesnake: 'It was sheer panic'

Colorado Rockies reliever John Axford hasn't been a full-time participant at spring camp for the last week after his two-year-old son, Jameson, was bitten twice in the foot by a rattlesnake.

"It was sheer panic," Axford told Nick Groke of the Denver Post. "Things got very bad, very quickly."

Jameson remains under observation at a Phoenix-area hospital and is fortunately in stable condition, but the Rockies will give Axford all the time he needs to attend to the obviously concerning matter. Axford already solidified his roster spot early in camp, and is set to work as one of the primary setup men for closer LaTroy Hawkins this season. 

However, the right-hander's potential absence for Monday's opener against the Brewers may prompt the Rockies to keep Brooks Brown, Rafael Betancourt, or Scott Oberg around as a spare relief arm.

"As bad as it looks, it's looking better," Axford said. "We're trying to take things step by step. Any positive thoughts people have for him would be well-received."