When the Colorado Rockies signed Kris Bryant, he was meant to be hope for the future.
It hasn’t worked out that way at Coors Field, though. Instead, injuries have defined Bryant’s tenure with Colorado, which has coincided with some of the worst years in franchise history.
It’s too simple to just blame Bryant, but it can at times feel emblematic of what has happened with the Rockies as a whole.
As Bryant has been out of action, the Rockies have been pretty much permanently out of the playoff picture.
The last couple seasons in particular, Colorado has been just about as bad as a baseball team can be. Bryant wouldn’t have changed everything, but he sure would’ve helped.
The pain, though, isn’t just for Rockies fans. It’s for Bryant, who obviously would’ve never wanted the tail end of his career to look like this.
Kris Bryant Injury News
The latest Bryant news came from the Rockies season-ending press conference with president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta.
DePodesta was asked about Bryant’s role in the Rockies’ future, and he didn’t shy away from the reality.
“I think we have to continue to move forward from a roster-building standpoint as if we’re not going to have him,” DePodesta told reporters. “And if we do, then that’s a great bonus.”
The fact that the Rockies can’t count on Bryant at this point is extra tough considering how much money they still owe him.
What Rockies Still Owe Kris Bryant
Bryant singed a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Rockies before the 2022 season after leaving the Chicago Cubs (and a half-season with the San Francisco Giants).
He is still owed $54 million.
The Rockies have equivalent $27 million salaries for Bryant on the books for both 2027 and 2028.
He has a no-trade clause, but at this point no one would be dealing for the injured Bryant anyway.
What is Kris Bryant’s Injury?
Bryant was placed on the 60-day injured list right at the start of the 2026 season. He had played just 11 games in 2025.
When he was placed on the IL, it was with chronic lumbar degenerative disc disease, a back problem that won’t be going away.
Bryant has said that when his feet hit the ground, it can feel like he could fall over.
It’s specifically a severe pain in his lower back, which is a key part of the body for pretty much every baseball motion. And it’s not getting any better for Bryant. He just has to live with it.
That’s what has pretty much ended any hope he has of returning to Major League Baseball. Much like New York Mets legend David Wright, the pain became too much to bear on a baseball field.
Kris Bryant Stats With Rockies
If Bryant never plays again, he’ll conclude his Rockies tenure with just 170 games played. He had 17 homers in that span while hitting .244 with a .695 OPS.
He hit .306 in just 42 games in his first season with the Rockies, but he was never close to his normal self as a hitter again.
Bryant was once the NL MVP with the Chicago Cubs, the same year he led the Cubs to a World Series championship for the first time since 1908.
With the Rockies, Bryant didn’t even sniff that level of performance. His injury trouble had already sunk in, and it was too late for Colorado to get anything but a sad story.
Rockies Still Owe Kris Bryant Millions Amid Bad Injury News