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Former Cubs 2016 World Series Champion Gets Major Update on Immediate MLB Future

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sam Bernardi | Last updated Apr 15, 2025 6:00 AM ET

Former Chicago Cubs’ superstar Kris Bryant has not had a graceful second half of his career. After getting dealt to the San Francisco Giants during the 2021 season, he landed with the Colorado Rockies on a seven-year, $182 million contract and was expected to turn that franchise around.

However, recurring back issues as well as rib and finger problems have limited Bryant to just 170 games with Colorado. Now, a new injury will set Bryant back even further, and unfortunately, his playing days may come to an end sooner rather than later.

According to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, Bryant will be placed on the 10-day injured list with lumbar degenerative disc disease.

This is a brutal blow for both the Rockies and Bryant, who, when healthy, was one of the best players in all of baseball. He burst onto the scene in 2015, winning the National League Rookie of the Year award and earning all-star recognition.

He followed that campaign up with a 39-home run, 102-RBI, .939 OPS effort to capture the NL MVP in 2016. Later that season, he was an instrumental piece of Chicago’s unforgettable World Series run.

2017 saw Bryant finish seventh in MVP Voting, and at 25 years old, he had already accomplished a career’s worth of achievements and was well on his way to Cooperstown.

But that’s when the injuries began.

He was hit by a pitch in the head in April of 2018, coincidentally against the Rockies, and later made an IL stint for shoulder inflammation after an awkward slide into a base.

Since then, he has not been the same breakout star that captured the love and admiration of Wrigleyville.

Bryant has become one of the bigger What If stories in baseball, and hopefully he can return to the diamond soon. The league is in a better place when Bryant is healthy, and with those days looking less and less common, cherish him while he is still here.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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