Former Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant’s injury-plagued Colorado Rockies tenure just took another turn for the worse.
The Rockies placed Bryant, the 2016 NL MVP, on the injured list Monday with lumbar degenerative disc disease. According to MLB.com, the Rockies expect Bryant to return at the end of his IL stint.
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According to the Cleveland Clinic, degenerative disc disease — which the clinic notes is not actually a disease but a condition — causes the spinal discs to wear down. It is unclear if the condition is related to the various back injuries that limited Bryant to -1.1 bWAR and 159 games from 2022-24.
Bryant has hit .154 with no home runs, an RBI and a staggeringly bad .400 OPS through 11 games. This marks the 33-year-old’s ninth injured list stint since joining the Rockies in March 2022.
Colorado Rockies designated hitter Kris BryantIsaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
It’s another frustrating blow for Bryant, a four-time All-Star with the Cubs from 2015-21. Bryant burst onto the scene in 2015 with 26 home runs and a 5.4 bWAR, earning Rookie of the Year honors and leading the Cubs to their first NLCS appearance in over a decade.
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The next season, Bryant hit a career-high 39 home runs and tallied a league-high 7.3 bWAR. Most important, he hit .308 with three homers, five doubles and a .923 OPS in 17 playoff games, carrying the Cubs to their first World Series title since 1908.
Bryant hit .269 with two solo home runs in the seven-game World Series victory over Cleveland.
Although the Cubs never won another pennant with Bryant, they can’t blame those playoff struggles on him. The 2013 No. 2 pick remained in Chicago through the 2021 trade deadline, totaling a .279 average, 160 homers, 465 RBIs and a 28.0 bWAR.
The Cubs dealt Bryant to the San Francisco Giants in July 2021, and he mashed seven homers and posted a .788 OPS in 51 games for the NL West champions.
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Bryant has three seasons and $81 million remaining on his contract after this year. He also owns a full no-trade clause.
Related: Former Yankees $22 Million Bust Facing Opportunity to Revive Career