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Former Rockies, Red Sox Reliever Daniel Bard Mapping Out Return to MLB

Daniel Bard, who is still recovering from the elbow surgery he underwent last May, is planning to return to the mound in February and land with a new club once the regular season begins.
Sam Connon|
Jul 26, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Daniel Bard (52) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.
Jul 26, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Daniel Bard (52) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

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Colorado RockiesBoston Red Sox

Daniel Bard hasn't taken the mound in an MLB game since 2023, but he is eying a return to the big leagues sooner rather than later.

The 39-year-old reliever underwent surgery on a torn meniscus last February, followed by an additional procedure on his right elbow flexor tendon on May 1. Those two injuries knocked him out for the entire 2024 season, robbing the Colorado Rockies of one of their most experienced arms.

Bard's two-year, $19 million contract expired in October, making his a free agent.

According to Rob Bradford of the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast, Bard is planning to start throwing off the mound again in February. From there, he aims to sign with a new team in April and return to MLB action shortly thereafter.

Bard was once one of the most promising young relievers in baseball, making his MLB debut with the Boston Red Sox in 2009. Over the course of his first three big league campaigns, the former first round pick posted a 2.88 ERA, 1.056 WHIP, 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings and a 4.9 WAR in 192 appearances.

The Red Sox gave Bard a shot as a starter in 2012, though, and the trajectory of his career immediately tanked. He went 5-6 with a 6.27 ERA, 1.757 WHIP and -0.8 WAR over the next two seasons before getting designated for assignment and traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2013.

Bard then bounced around between the Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets before finding his way to Colorado and reviving his career in 2020. That season, he went 4-2 with a 3.65 ERA, 1.297 WHIP, 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.8 WAR en route to NL Comeback Player of the Year honors.

While a 5.21 ERA and -0.3 WAR in 2021 marked a step back for Bard, he hit new highs in 2022 when he went 6-4 with a 1.79 ERA, 0.994 WHIP, 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings and a 3.7 WAR, finishing 16th in NL MVP voting in the process.

For his career, Bard is 31-35 with a 3.74 ERA, 1.301 WHIP, 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings and an 8.4 WAR.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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