The latest news in a disastrous tenure in Colorado for Kris Bryant was announced Tuesday as Bryant was placed on the 60-day IL to make room for newly signed starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano. The former Chicago Cubs’ star continues to deal with debilitating degenerative lumbar disc disease. Since signing with the Rockies on a seven-year, $182 million deal in 2022, Bryant has played in just 170 games out of a possible 648. His latest season was the worst yet, as he suited up for just 11 games in 2025. Now facing yet another 60-day IL stint with a new front office, have we seen the last of Kris Bryant in Colorado?

Is Kris Bryant’s Rockies Career Over?

It’s a question that’s been asked a lot since Bryant’s injuries began. As the Rockies continued to lurk in the baseball cellar, where did the former star fit on the struggling club? Would the Rockies have to take a cue from their Colorado brethren in the Denver Broncos and eat the remaining money on Bryant’s contract? It’s worked out quite well for the Broncos since. As of now, Bryant is still with the Rockies and has three years and $81 million remaining on his contract. At the end of which, he will be 36.

This was one of the biggest questions the Rockies’ new front office would have to answer when they took over this offseason. What to do with Bryant. When the deal was first made, it was met with a lot of perplexity from around the league for both sides. Why would Bryant, one of the top free agents, sign with a team nowhere near contention? Bryant later admitted that he had perhaps been hasty in deciding due to the lockout ending, and wanting to get a deal done abruptly in that short time span before a shortened Spring Training started. From the Rockies’ point of view, it was quite clear.

The Rockies had just traded Nolan Arenado a year prior and lost Trevor Story in the offseason. Owner Dick Monfort needed another big-time player in Colorado to draw people to Coors Field. Forget that it made no sense for Bryant or the team, and it would hamstring the Rockies financially for years.

After enraging his fan base by trading Arenado, this move backfired on Monfort like many people thought it would. Perhaps not for the reasons people thought, however. Up until the beginning of his tenure in Colorado, Bryant had been a very durable player. Playing in at least 144 games in five of his six full seasons, excluding the COVID-shortened season of 2020. Nevertheless, this move seemed set for disaster one way or another from the beginning.

What Will DePodesta Decide?

The ultimate decision on what to do with Bryant now rests on the Rockies’ President of Baseball Operations, Paul DePodesta. It has been an active and refreshing offseason for the Rockies’ new front office. DePodesta has backed up the open-minded approach he said the Rockies would take when it came to acquiring players.

He has signed three starting pitchers in free agency to fill out the Rockies’ thin starting rotation. Additionally, he has made five different trades with five different teams this offseason. Including a rare trade inside the National League West with the Arizona Diamondbacks for Jake McCarthy. A massive shift from 2020-24 in which the Rockies made zero NL West trades and didn’t trade with 16 of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball.

He also hasn’t been afraid to release former Rockies’ first-round picks, most notably including the struggling Michael Toglia.  All this to say that this is a new era in Colorado. The Rockies’ front office is anything but inactive and insular now. No team in their right mind would take on Bryant in a trade. Outside of Colorado, his future in the MLB as a whole is in question. So, will DePodesta bite the bullet and release Bryant? As he continues to try to repair the Rockies from the questionable decisions of the past front office.

Only time will tell. It is a fair question to ask if DePodesta was going to release Bryant, why didn’t he do it now?

Well, what is the rush? His contract is fully guaranteed, so the Rockies are on the hook for that no matter what. He now has two months at least to think about possible options while Bryant continues to recover. Finally, DePodesta will want a fully healthy Bryant (if possible) anyway, to work with when he does eventually reach a decision.

Reason for Trust

DePodesta has been an executive in this league for a long time. It has been the first shrewd offseason for Colorado in what feels like forever. The Rockies’ front office has earned Rockies’ fans’ trust going forward this offseason. But even though the Rockies have had a good offseason, there is still a long road ahead, and a 34-year-old, oft-injured Bryant doesn’t fit in that timeline.

Whether his career continues to be him solely residing on the injured list while under contract with the Rockies, the Rockies finally do cut bait with Bryant, or he medically retires, it feels likelier than ever that Bryant has played his last game in a Rockies’ jersey.

 

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