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Injury Prone Colorado Rockies Star Kris Bryant Sidelined With More Back Problems

Colorado Rockies designated hitter Kris Bryant, who was ice cold at the plate to open the 2025 regular season, is headed to the injured list once again.
Sam Connon|
Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant (23) gets ready to hit against the San Diego Padres in the first inning at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Colorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant (23) gets ready to hit against the San Diego Padres in the first inning at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

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Colorado Rockies

The Colorado Rockies have placed designated hitter Kris Bryant on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 13, per the team's official transaction log.

According to the club’s announcement, Bryant has been diagnosed with lumbar degenerative disk disease. Catcher Braxton Fulford will be called up from Triple-A Albuquerque to take his place on the roster, while right-handed pitcher Jeff Criswell has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Through 11 games this season, Bryant was batting .154 with one RBI, two runs, two extra-base hits, two walks, 13 strikeouts, a .400 OPS and a -0.5 WAR.

This is Bryant's first trip to the injured list in 2025, but it is just the latest in a long line of ailments that have plagued the 33-year-old since he arrived in Denver.

Bryant has appeared in a total of 170 games dating back to the start of the 2022 campaign due to plantar fasciitis, a bone bruise in his foot, heel issues, a broken finger, a back strain, a lower rib contusion and now additional back issues.

Even when he has been in the lineup, Bryant has hit just .244 with 17 home runs, 61 RBIs, a .695 OPS and a -1.6 WAR in a Rockies uniform. Considering he is only halfway through his seven-year, $182 million contract, Colorado certainly has not gotten its money's worth with Bryant.

Bryant was a four-time All-Star, 2015 NL Rookie of the Year, 2016 NL MVP and World Series champion during his time with the Chicago Cubs. Between 2015 and 2021, he hit .278 with an .880 OPS, averaging 31 home runs, 89 RBIs and a 5.3 WAR per 162 games.

The Rockies haven't gotten anywhere near that level of production out of Bryant so far in 2025. And as a team, Colorado boasts the worst record in baseball at 3-12.

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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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