Following Brief Return, Rockies Place Kris Bryant back on 10-Day IL
Here we go again.
The Colorado Rockies have placed all-star Kris Bryant on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain, the club announced. This move was made retroactive to May 23, meaning he can return on Jun. 2 at the earliest.
In a corresponding move, the team recalled pitcher Ryan Feltner from triple-A Albuquerque. The 25-year-old has made one big-league start this season, where he allowed four runs, two walks and struck out seven hitters through five innings versus the Philadelphia Phillies.
Bryant, 30, missed almost a month of action earlier this season due to the same back injury. Originally, he was only supposed to be sidelined for a couple of weeks, but a cortisone injection ultimately extended his IL stint.
The 2016 National League MVP Award winner was initially reinstated from the IL on May 21, only to be activated for just a pair of games. After being scratched from Monday’s contest, he now heads to the IL for the second time in 2022.
Due to his nagging back injury, Bryant has been limited to just 73 plate appearances in 17 games. Not the way he wanted to begin his tenure in Colorado.
After spending six and a half seasons with the Chicago Cubs, finishing last season with the San Francisco Giants, the right-hander became a free agent over the off-season. In the end, he signed a lucrative seven-year, $182-million contract with the Rockies.
But early on, the massive signing hasn’t panned out for either side. Offensively, Bryant has yet to find his groove at the plate. And who could blame him? He hasn’t even logged 100 plate appearances so far.
Overall, Bryant has posted just four extra-base hits (all doubles), four RBIs and a .270/.342/.333 slash line. The four-time All-Star also carries an 82 wRC+ score and a -0.3 fWAR rating.
The lack of power is a troubling issue that didn’t plague him at any point in ‘21, when he recorded 25 home runs and a .481 slugging percentage in 586 plate appearances across 144 games. For someone that calls Coors Field home – where balls travel farther than any other park – you wouldn’t expect slugging to be the problem.
In the field, the native of Las Vegas, Nevada, has been strictly utilized in the outfield. There, he compiled 120 innings in left field, committing one error and registering a -2 DRS along with a -2 OAA rating.
With Bryant unavailable, the Rockies are expected to platoon multiple players in left field – including Connor Joe, Sam Hilliard and Yonathan Daza. The club hopes this combination will suffice until its franchise star returns.
Unfortunately, that didn’t prove to be the case on Wednesday as the Rockies fell 10-5 to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Following the defeat, the franchise now possesses a subpar 20-23 record this season.
Despite winning 10 of their first 15 games, they’ve now dropped 18 of their last 28 contests, resulting in a 10-18 record during this rough stretch. On the season, they’re positioned last in the NL West Division.
Colorado is scheduled to begin a four-game series in Washington against the Nationals on Thursday, with the opener beginning at 7:05 p.m. ET.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Arturo Pardavila III. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.