First baseman Kris Bryant has struggled to stay healthy since signing a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Colorado Rockies in 2022.
After playing in only 42 and 80 games, respectively, in his first two season with the team, Rockies fans will be holding their breath after the latest Bryant injury news from Thomas Harding on MLB.com:
“The Rockies have announced that Kris Bryant left today’s game with back stiffness.”
Ravaged by injuries, Bryant has not come anywhere close to the MVP-caliber play he showed in 2016 when he slashed .292/.385/.554, hit 39 homers and led the Cubs to their first World Series title in more than 100 years.
So far this season, the Rockies star is hitting .133 with a home run and six RBIs in his 45 at bats.
But Bryant believes he can still be the player that the Rockies need him to be, especially if they are going to rebound from a 103-loss season, according to Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post:
“‘In my mind, I think the biggest thing is you just look at the back of someone’s baseball card and you kind of think, ‘Hey, this is the type of player that they are,’” Bryant said this offseason at Rockies Fanfest at Coors Field. “I know that’s the type of player I am.”
Bryant has dealt with plantar fasciitis, a bruised left heel and a broken left index finger that limited him to just 32 percent of Rockies games entering this season. But Bryant declared himself finally healthy before the season.
“I feel good,” he said. “I’m super eager to get back onto the field with a clear mindset and control what I can control. Last year wasn’t too fun, but it was important to step back and realize that I have played this game for a long time and I have survived a lot of scares and never really had any broken bones.”
Hopefully, the Rockies scratched Bryant as nothing more than a precautionary move.
Another rough season ahead for the Rockies?
The Rockies are currently just 4-11 on the season.
Colorado does have some pop in the lineup, especially playing at Coors Field. The issue, though, is MLB-caliber pitching. They simply don’t have any. Kyle Freeland might have qualified in past years, but he was the primary culprit in allowing the Arizona Diamondbacks 14-run explosion on opening night.
It’s not a “wait ’til next year” for Colorado, it’s a “wait ’til we figure out how to get our stadium closer to sea level so people will want to pitch for us.”
Until then, it’s likely the Rockies will continue to struggle.
The Rockies next take on the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday in a matinee game. Freeland is the expected starter for Colorado in that game.
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