Kris Bryant’s persistent back problems impact much more than just his baseball availability.
The Rockies third baseman, on the 60-day injured list with a degenerative back condition, described the daily pain so severe that it can be “hard to get me the toothpaste.”
“Every time my feet touch the ground, I feel like I’m probably going to fall over,” the 2016 National League MVP told reporters Tuesday at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona. according to The Denver Post. “It’s a shame and it’s clearly not how I want this to go. I’m here to figure things out and find out if there’s a way to get better.”
“It’s not easy waking up in pain every day, but now here we are. I’m trying to work with the training staff and doctors to determine the next step.”
Bryant, 34, has barely seen the field since signing a seven-year, $182 million contract with Colorado ahead of the 2022 campaign.
The four-time All-Star has endured ten separate injured stints with the Rockies, limiting him to just 170 of a possible 648 games in four seasons.
Bryant owns a disappointing .244/.324/.370 slash line with 17 home runs and 61 RBIs in the Mile High City.
Last season, Bryant’s lumbar degenerative disc disease limited him to just 11 games; an injury that he now says makes me feel like “being electrocuted throughout my body.”
“I could never have expected or seen this coming,” he added. “And now that I’m dealing with it, I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. It’s miserable.”
Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said the organization “supports” Bryant as he tries to get healthy, but acknowledges the reality that he “can’t play baseball” at this stage.
“We have to prepare as if he’s not going to play,” Schaeffer said. “That’s exactly the way we have to approach it, hoping he recovers and has a breakthrough. But now his back is really, really sore. It’s a real thing. He just can’t play baseball.”
At one point, Bryant — who started his career with the Cubs — seemed on track to a Hall of Fame career.
He won the Rookie of the Year award in 2015 before capturing NL MVP honors the following year while leading the Cubs to the franchise’s first World Series in 108 years.
Bryant remained a potent offensive player for the next five seasons, including a brief stint with the Giants after a midseason trade in 2021.
Although Bryant said he is considering the long-term consequences of living with a serious back injury, he has not yet considered retirement.
“I’m not going to go into depth about that. I don’t want to make any mistakes,” Bryant said. “I haven’t read the reports. My focus is just on finding things that will help me wake up, hopefully in a little less pain than the day before.”
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