DENVER — After being placed on the injured list at the start of June with a left heel bruise, it appears there could be some good news regarding Kris Bryant and his potential return to the Colorado Rockies lineup.
Colorado Rockies: The latest injury update on Kris Bryant
Speaking to the media before the Colorado Rockies opened a three-game series at Coors Field against the Los Angeles Angels, manager Bud Black said that Bryant had returned to “baseball activity,” another step toward a return for a Colorado team that has been decimated by injuries this season, in the field and on the mound.
“Kris had a good day today, did every baseball activity. He hit on the field. He ran. He did defensive work, so that’s really a good sign,” Black said. “He’ll do the same tomorrow (Saturday).”
After playing in just 42 games last season because of a back injury and plantar fasciitis, the 31-year-old Bryant has appeared in 50 games this season. He is currently slashing .263/.346/.374 with five home runs and 17 RBI. The five home runs he has blasted in 2023 (190 at-bats) matches the number he hit in 2022 (160 at-bats).
Signed to a seven-year, $182 million deal before the 2022 season, Bryant has yet to become the player the Rockies hoped he would be, partly because of injuries keeping him off the field. Despite the lack of playing time this season, Bryant’s five home runs still tie for fifth on the Rockies along with Charlie Blackmon (among other players). Blackmon is also shelved with a hand injury, allowing rookies Brenton Doyle and Nolan Jones to gain more playing time in the absence of the veterans.
Black refused to put any kind of timetable on Bryant’s return, adding that “it’s getting closer.” When Bryant returns, however, it will be a welcome sight for a Rockies team that enters Friday at 29-48 and riding an eight-game losing streak.