Rockies put Kris Bryant on the IL once again, just 15 games into the season

The Colorado Rockies are putting Kris Bryant on the IL.

Again.

Bryant has played in only 170 of a possible 501 games with the Rockies since signing a massive seven-year deal worth $182 million in the spring of 2022.

And this injury doesn’t sound good at all, one that you have to wonder if it could possibly jeopardize the majority of yet another season.

I'm hearing that #Rockies    DH Kris Bryant has lumbar degenerative disk disease and will go to the 10-day IL. Not sure what the treatment plan is. C Braxton Fulford will be added from Triple-A @ABQTopes.

— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) April 14, 2025

However you slice it, “lumbar degenerative disk disease” does not seem fun. In 11 games so far this season, out of a possible 15, Kris Bryant is hitting for a .154 average while striking out 13 times in 39 at-bats. Bryant has had a negative WAR in each of the last three seasons with the Rockies, barely being positive in 2022, his first year with the club.

Overall, this is Bryant’s ninth trip to the IL since signing with the Rockies. He hasn’t played much, and when he has, he’s been relatively bad.

At some point, it’s unclear how much longer this can go on. But it’s the Rockies, so you never know. And Kris Bryant will still get paid his handsome salary regardless of whether he’s on the field or not.

He won’t be for at least the next 10 days, if not much, much longer.

(Update 7:04 p.m.) –

Rockies manager Bud Black is at least optimistic Bryant could return near the end of the month. We’ll see if that actually happens.

Rockies manager Bud Black says Kris Bryant is expected to return after 10 days, but added that his back is something that he'll likely need to manage going forward.

"A lot of players — especially at this point in their career — have to manage certain things in their body."

— Andrés Soto (@TheAndresPablo) April 15, 2025