Kris Bryant’s ongoing back issues are affecting far more than just his baseball availability.
The Rockies’ third baseman, on the 60-day injured list with a degenerative back condition, described daily pain so severe that it can be “hard to grab the toothpaste in front of me.”
“Any time my feet hit the ground, I feel like I could probably fall over,” the 2016 National League MVP told reporters Tuesday at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Ariz., according to The Denver Post. “It’s unfortunate and obviously not how I want this to go. I’m here to figure things out and find out if there is a way to get better.
“It’s not easy waking up in pain every day, but now we are here. I’m just trying to determine the next step with the training staff and doctors.”
Bryant, 34, has hardly 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 10 separate injured list stints with the Rockies, limiting him to 170 out of a possible 648 games over 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 kept him to just 11 games; an injury that he now says feels like “being electrocuted in my whole body.”
“I could never have expected this 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 attempts to get healthy, but recognizes the reality that, at this stage, he “can’t play baseball.”
“We have to prepare like he’s not going to play,” Schaeffer said. “That’s just the way we have to go about it, hoping that he has a recovery and a breakthrough. But was of now, his back really, really hurts. It’s a real thing. He just can’t play baseball.”
At one point, Bryant — who began his career with the Cubs — seemed to be on the fast 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 run with the Giants after a midseason trade in 2021.
While Bryant said he’s weighing the long-term implications of living with a serious back injury, he has not allowed retirement to cross his mind — yet.
“I’m not going to dive deep into that. I don’t want to misspeak,” Bryant said. “I haven’t read the reports. My focus is just to find stuff that will help me wake up, hopefully, in a little less pain than the day before.”
