Rockies' Kris Bryant: Still bothered by back
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Bryant said Saturday in an interview with Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post that he continues to experience daily pain and discomfort while recovering from lumbar degenerative disc disease, but the 33-year-old said that he's not yet considering retirement. "[The back is] not in the best shape, and that's pretty disheartening for me," Bryant said. "It's exhausting for me waking up and hoping to feel [better]. I can't tell you the last time I woke up feeling I'm in a good spot."
Bryant spent nearly all of the 2025 campaign on the shelf after he underwent an ablation operation in May to address his back condition, but the procedure hasn't yielded the desired effect. Though Bryant noted that he hasn't felt any pain while swinging a bat, straight-line running as well as quick, unorthodox movements such as diving for a grounder or retreating to first base on a pickoff attempt are still presenting discomfort. Bryant said that he's continuing to treat his injury during the offseason by doing Pilates three times a week with the hope of strengthening his core and providing some relief for his lower back, but if he's still dealing with substantial pain by the time spring training arrives, it's possible that Bryant and the Rockies more seriously discuss a financial arrangement that would allow him to medically retire. Since signing a seven-year, $182 million contract in March of 2022, Bryant has played in 170 games over his four seasons with the Rockies and has struggled to a .244/.324/.370 slash line (82 wRC+) with 17 home runs and 61 RBI across 712 plate appearances.
