Kris Bryant is headed for an ablation procedure on his lower back tomorrow, Rockies manager Bud Black tells reporters (including Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post). The skipper called it “a minimally invasive procedure” and expressed optimism that Bryant could resume baseball activities within a few days.
It’s nevertheless the latest frustration as Bryant tries to manage his persistent back pain. He has been out since April 14 with what the team called lumbar degenerative disc disease. It’s the ninth injured list placement of the former MVP’s three-plus seasons in Colorado. Six of them have been related to his back and/or side. Bryant also battled left foot issues early in his Rox tenure and fractured a finger in 2023.
Bryant owns a .244/.324/.370 slash line over 170 games in a Colorado uniform. The Rockies used him exclusively at designated hitter early this season to reduce his workload. He hit .154 with two extra-base hits (both doubles) in 11 games. This is the fourth season of his seven-year, $182MM free agent deal. Bryant unsurprisingly made clear last month that he’s not thinking about retirement.
Black provided a few other injury updates this evening (via Thomas Harding of MLB.com). Infielders Ezequiel Tovar and Thairo Estrada are ramping up baseball activities, while starter Austin Gomber has pushed his long toss regimen to 90 feet. It’s most relevant regarding Gomber, who has been out all season with shoulder inflammation. He opened the season on a rehab assignment but suffered a setback that necessitated a move to the 60-day IL last month. Gomber received a platelet-rich plasma injection and is back throwing, though he’s still a ways off another rehab stint.
I’d rather have Anthony Rendon
Both miss the same amount of games and the only difference is one is a clubhouse cancer and the other isnt
It’s sad, but Rendon at least provides some positive value when he’s on the field. Bryant actively hurts the team by providing negative value when he plays. A depressing turn to what people though was going to be a HoF career.
FrankRoo, it’s true that Rendon provides some positive value when he’s on the field. Including this season, over the past five years, Rendon has put up a robust 1.7 WAR – to be clear, that’s total WAR. Though I have no idea how you’re credited with 0.6 WAR with horrible defense and an OPS + of 63.
Rendon is a 245 million dollar bust and Bryant is a 182 million dollar bust. Both team Angels and Rockies got Borassed. What were the Rockies thinking? Who were they outbididng for him? DId Boras tell them he had 5 teams bidding, but they were all alone? He had been declining prior. Bryant will never do a thing and his career is probably over.
I was just thinking that he is the new Anthony Rendon
Byron Buxton.
Buxton plays all out, every game. He loves playing and still puts up good stats. He’ll never play 162 because his body wasn’t meant to. It happens. He shouldn’t be in any conversation with Rendon, and nor should Bryant. Bodies break down, especially athletes.
What? Buxton is an AS when he plays. Over the past 4 seasons, Rendon & Bryant have combined for a 0.1 bWAR. Buxton has a 9.5, and has a 4.9/650 PAs.
He’ll never play 162 because his body wasn’t meant to.
=========================
As a BB fan, I’d love to see one full season from Buxton, just to see the type of numbers he’d put up.
Absolutely! It would be one for the ages.
Said no one ever.
I literally just said it
You literally just typed it.
MLB Fan,
It might have been talk to text.
Does it count if he types it and says the words as he types them? I would think it covers all narratives. I am not an expert on these things. Maybe an expert can help us all out.
Rendon still has some small possibility of putting up a good season. I doubt Bryant ever plays another real season.
Why?
This is so sad it’s true
Disagree. At least he’s not an insufferable a-hole that despises his own sport like Rendon
As bad as Rendon is he still shows up to work when he feels like it. That’s not saying much but I’m definitely taking Rendon in a wheel chair over Kris Bryant healthy. That is sad but that is reality.
Bryant’s idk what to even call at this point but arguably the most immovable contact in baseball today.
Colorados only chance to move off this is attaching a guy like calaz back and eating a good 40%
This team is awful an absolute expected dumpster fire everybody on the outside looking in knew was going to happen.
Bud black is 6-29 on the year.
He’s won since he’s blamed Hensley for all of this.
He’s really playing this Doyle card with the worlds smallest violin here.
He’s won 2 games since he blames Hensley for this
They’d have to eat a lot more than 40% of Bryant’s contract for anyone to touch it.
HEHEHATE, Weird take
Definitely weird to say Bud Black is 6-29. No manager could make this team significantly better. This incompetence is shared throughout the organization and starts with ownership.
They both stink. Rendon has barely played in 5 yrs. Bryant is finished. Rendon is finished. Rendon 2 HR in the last two yrs. On a good day he hits .220. One more yr as a payoll bandit for him.
You’re vastly undervaluing Calaz. Somebody is biting that bullet for 40% deferred yes. This guy is going to be a monster.
Somebody is going to pay close to $60M to buy a prospect???
Amazing how many people attack they guys as if they want to be injured.
Teams would touch Bryant for calaz and deferrals absolutely.
Bud black hasn’t won 80 games since 2018. he’s gone 365-539 since that .500 season. That’s a w/l percentage under 39%
And again he’s 6-29 this year having Doyle run out there and carry his jock strap let alone job with his mind anywhere but on baseball after the loss of his own child.
Bud black needed to get fired 6 years ago. The fact he’s still employed anywhere in baseball is as questionable as him walking in criminal charges on capital murder in Colorado pulling the innocent as ok card here. Vs the entire state calling for his removal from dug out during the 7th inning stretch.
Idc how bad this team is, how the ball park is what it is or how incompetent ownership is one man has been there through it all and done nothing to show for it since his last positive season.
Blaming Hensley for this. I swear man If I’m Tony Clark I’m calling for his head on the firing in my grievance.
Colorado is pathetic there’s maybe 4 mlb caliber players on that roster. Buds job is to make notice this roster? Has he? Let’s get real.
But again the manager of this team is assuming none of the responsibly with arguably the biggest leeway I’ve ever seen in my lifetime in a catastrophic managerial failure.
I dare somebody to defend bud black you can’t
It is his job and can’t do it give somebody who quite frankly gives a flying f to give back to the great fans out of Colorado. I haven’t seen this years numbers but you’d be surprised where this team ranks in yearly attendance despite everything.
I’ve made my take on Colorado ownership. They need to reinvent the wheel to win the wild card.
6-29 is absolute bull Durham at its finest at 8-16 you bet it’s a miracle bud is still employed in baseball with this to show for it
I’m still taking Rendon. He just plays the system. Bryant is cooked.
I will continue to argue no teams will pay $60M for a prospect.
And Monfort has been around longer than Black, he approved the hiring of Black, and he continues to employ Black. I won’t argue against the idea Black needs to go, but ultimate responsibility for this team’s failures falls to Monfort.
It’s top bottom I do agree. I’m a pirates fan and nuttings gotta go himself. For whatever reason I deep dive bad teams more than good cause it’s a lotta wtf are you doing here stuff. Colorados gold mine for that.
Colorado is doing everything in their power to hush hush how good calaz is. I hope and pray that bud doesnt do to him what he did to Tapia. It’s bud black and he will though.
Teams are taking a hard look at that. Calaz is top 50 minimum next year. I’d argue him easily in the same realm today as made, de vires and de Paula. And yes a team is touching any of those 4 at the price of taking on Bryant and comp on that. It’s debatable on amount but I think it is appropriate back if calaz attached. Yes.
For the second year in a row, every MLBTR reader will tie Rendon in HRs. The only subtle differences between him and us are that we love baseball and he makes $38.5 million.
How many of us would work at a job we didn’t like for $38.5M a year?
I cant speak for others, but I would never work a job I didn’t like for under $40 million… but that’s just me.
That John Denver is FOS man!
His contract doesnt end until after 2028 season
Yikes
Could have been one of the great ones
He briefly was.
This is the procedure that I often have. Pain relief lasts up to 3 months. But Kris Bryant is a much bigger guy than me. Height and weight so it could be very different for him. He definitely has more muscles on his back too.
You’re lucky. I’ve had it done several times as well. Mine lasts about 4-6 weeks, max.
Wait you have to get this done periodically? That sounds terrible, and if Bryant has to deal with this periodically as well, I don’t see how he can keep playing…
I think he wants to keep trying to honor his contract. I’ve talked about Bryant to a buddy of mine who is a pain management specialist in D.C. He also works with a bunch of regional athletes (and cheerleaders!).
When you have $108 million left on your contract, it’s not like you would walk away. Less about honoring the commitment to the team and more about riding it out.
There is a fine line between “honor his contract” and continue to receive a fat check.
There’s also a fine line between a “mutually agreed-upon contract” and “robbery” in the United States too.
@Dooper Those two are not mutually exclusive.
Nobody is asking him to honor his commitment though. It’s not like Colorado and their fans would be upset if he retired. They wouldn’t be like “outrageous, this guy not honoring his commitment”. You can frame it however you want, but currently hes worth more off the 40 man and just get paid out like Strasburg.
@Dooper What am I trying to frame? I’m stating the mere facts that he has a degenerative health condition but yet doesn’t want to give up playing again. Could he possibly medically retire and collect full pay? Likely. Could he settle his contract for close to full pay and ride off? Likely. Does he want to? No.
Acoss, yeah, it burns the nerves to alleviate the pain signals; but, the nerves grow back, and when they do, pain returns. So, if successful, he will likely need to repeat this. The good news is that it takes about a week for all the pain from the procedure to go away, so it should not be a lengthy absence.
I’ve never experienced pain from mine, and I’ve had them both in the thoracic and cervical. They usually say to use ice off and on for 24 hours, and because the cervical requires anesthesia, you can’t be left alone. But by day two I don’t feel pain from the ablation.
There’s no recovery period. It either works or it doesn’t. But it can’t be done more than every six months.
So, you didn’t get post-RFA swelling and pain at the site? I did every single time.
I did not, or at least not that much, especially in the cervical. But I now have a lumbar fusion and a cervical neck fusion, so neither procedure worked well for me in the end. It just staved off the inevitable. Sports injury combined with degenerative disc disease. Sorry yours caused more pain. That stinks.
@@Acoss
Insurance only covers it for 2-3 months at a time.
The longest I’ve waited in between procedures was nearly a year. That was because I was having other surgeries done. Not related to this procedure.
@Yankee Clipper. I have a very high tolerance for pain. So even if I’m in a little pain I won’t always show it. The more I get it done and I’ve had done at least a baker’s dozen times since Covid the more it gives me relief. It varies still. It could last 3 weeks but I only see my pain Dr. Everyone like 5-6 weeks now. I’m definitely gonna let them know in mid June that I think I need it again soon.
I’ve had an RFA a couple of times too. The first time it was good for about 7 months, the last one was 2 years ago and I haven’t had any issues. My doctor (who is a specialist) says it varies from person to person
Let’s be honest. Kris Bryant is not saving bud blacks job. But to be honest. He might lose it quicker if he’s healthy.
Hurt his back carrying all that money around the Rockies paid him
Good for him, rather hurt his back carrying money than hurting it while swinging-and-missing like a big whiffa.
Just send him to a farm upstate already.
Is “ablation” a baseball code word for “hurt a lot”?
youtu.be/TZruo5laKgY?si=4bAvIBZNIUgtfQ9U
It’s a very interesting procedure, but everything I’ve read about that surgery basically is about getting back “normal activity”. I haven’t seen anything suggesting it would be viable for the rigors of professional athletes.
If it’s needed, that or fusion would probably be after his career is over.
Bro at this point it almost feels like violating HIPA law by following this guys career. It’s basically just keeping up with his medical problems lol
KrIs BrYaNt iS nEVEr iNjuReD
The mortality rate associated with cardiac ablation procedures is generally low, with most studies reporting rates around 0.2% to 0.4% within the first 30 days after the procedure.
– Thoughts and prayers to Kris Bryant.
It’s not a cardiac ablation. It’s nerves in his spine.
I’m talking about the procedure.
I also have degenerative back disease. I had surgery to have 3 disks shaved down because they were crushing my sciatic nerve. My back is fine for periods of time. But the motion of swinging a bat consistently would be brutal. I can’t think of a worse motion. He might be fine for awhile but he’ll never be healthy on a regular basis. With as much money as he’s made in his career, I would choose my health over the money left on his contract. Life’s not enjoyable when your constantly miserable from that pain.
It’s all just a bummer. It’s not like he doesn’t want to play and it’s just milking the contract. But the Rockies were dumb for giving him that contract, along with being dumb in a million other ways as a franchise. He’s not what’s keeping them from being good. Not even close.
I have no idea why Bryant and The Rox can’t reach a buyout number. He’s 33, has a negative bWAR over the past 4 years, and has back problems.
He’s owed $108M. IMO, he should ask for $100M and retire.
All parties would be better off. They’re not going to extract any value from KB and they have to burn a 40-man slot on him every winter
Lots of insensitive comments. Bad backs are no jokes as those of us with them know all too well. To try to perform as an athlete with a bad back doesn’t even seem possible to me. I give him credit for at least trying something. I also feel bad for him being in pain. The mental aspect is also tough. I wish him better back health.