Rockies’ Kris Bryant won’t quit, but chronic back problems ‘really suck’

Kris Bryant can’t play baseball right now, and he’s unsure when he’ll be able to play again.

But he’s not ready to give up the game.

Bryant, 33, talked at length on Sunday about his chronic back condition and the physical and emotional effects it’s had on him. But the Rockies’ highest-paid player said he is not considering retiring.

“I want to be on the field. I want to play the game,” Bryant said while standing at his locker in the Rockies clubhouse at Coors Field. “I want to talk to doctors, see if there’s anything else we can do. But I’m not gonna give up.”

An emotional Bryant said he wakes up some mornings barely able to move, calling it “extremely frustrating.” Asked about the possibility of undergoing back surgery, Bryant said, “The doctors aren’t there yet.”

“A back surgery is a pretty big surgery,” he continued. “Obviously, I’m not an expert on it. Maybe I should be by now, with all the problems I’ve had. I want to see all my options, too … so that I’m not, like, in constant pain and nauseous, where I can’t eat, which was the situation today. I just woke up not feeling great, so it’s just extremely frustrating.”

Manager Bud Black believes that Bryant, when healthy, could be a boon to Colorado’s struggling offense.

“I’m going to remain optimistic that K.B. is going to return and come back healthy and ready to contribute,” Black said. “I still think there’s a hitter in there; a hit tool and an on-base component.”

Bryant entered the season as Colorado’s primary designated hitter, but he was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday with what the club called lumbar degenerative disc disease. He said he took two shots on Tuesday to help relieve pain and inflammation. In 11 games this season, Bryant is hitting .154 with no homers in 41 plate appearances as he continues to struggle offensively.

It’s the latest setback for the underperforming Bryant, who signed a seven-year, $182 million contract ahead of the 2022 season. It’s the largest free-agent contract for a position player in Rockies history. Bryant has played just 170 games across his four seasons in Colorado, with only 17 homers and a -1.6 total WAR.

While the physical pain has kept Bryant off the field, he admitted that the emotional toll has also been difficult. Asked how he’s handled that, Bryant said, “Not good. It sucks. I think this is the best way to put it. It really sucks.”

Bryant said that for the most part, he felt pretty good during spring training, but acknowledged that he didn’t have to play every day. Bryant said that he worked harder this offseason than ever before, focusing on building his core strength and alleviating some of the pressure on his lower back.

He’s continued his exercise routine, but it didn’t stop the back pain from returning.

“You know, I’m not 23 anymore,” he said. “So you don’t feel like you can just roll out of bed and be Superman. But at the same time, I feel like I’ve done everything I can.

“I’ve worked extremely hard in the offseason and continued it through spring training and in the season. And that’s just the frustrating part. I just want something to kind of fall my way. But I’ll keep going.”