Rockies’ Kris Bryant: “I’m at peace with what I’m seeing” amid offseason quest to get healthy

Kris Bryant’s sanctuary is the batting cage attached to his parents’ home in Las Vegas.

The cage, 65 feet long and 18 feet wide, is the centerpiece of a 1,600-square-foot workout facility. Bryant built it in 2014 as a present to his father, Mike, who first taught him how to hit and made a career out of teaching kids how to hit a baseball.

Bryant used his $6.7 million signing bonus to give his father a piece of baseball heaven, including a $3,300 pitching machine. Mike named the place “The Bryant Man Cage.”

Bryant says he’s thriving in his sanctuary this offseason, hitting off the tee and swinging at pitches his dad throws during batting practice. He feels good and pain-free for the first time in a long time, and hitting a baseball is fun again.

“I don’t have any … what’s the right word? ” he ponders.

Trepidation?

“That’s a great word, a great way to put it,” Bryan said. “It feels so good to call up my dad and say, ‘Hey, can I come over and hit at 11 o’clock today?’ and not have to worry and ask myself, ‘Oh, can I? Is this going to hurt today?’ ”

Bryant, who turns 33 on Jan. 4, has experienced plenty of hurt since signing a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Rockies before the 2022 season.

Back issues (chronic disc problems and arthritis) and plantar fasciitis have kept Bryant off the field and in the training room. He played just 37 games in 2024 and only 33% of Colorado’s games since he signed the biggest free-agent deal in franchise history. He’s swatted only 17 home runs in Rockies purple. In stark contrast, he hit 39 homers in 2016 when he was named the National League MVP and helped lead the Cubs to a World Series title. He hit 26 in 2015 when he was named NL Rookie of the Year.

The Rockies, coming off back-to-back 100-loss seasons and handicapped by a feeble offense, desperately need much more from him.

“We need Kris Bryant to be Kris Bryant,” manager Bud Black said last week at the Winter Meetings in Dallas. “He still is, in our opinion, very capable of that, and he’ll be the first guy to tell you he is very capable.

“Now, the proof will be in the pudding once we get going, but he’s having a great winter so far. He’s very adamant about this offseason conditioning program. He’s staying on top of that. He’s in a good spot.”

Bryant began his get-well project 10 days after the Rockies concluded their season. For three hours a day, he stretches, lifts weights and works to build a stronger core to alleviate the pain in his lower back. He works with a personal trainer in Las Vegas and incorporates a physical therapy program designed for him by the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Denver.

“It’s nice to have a good, long runway to gear up for the good and bad of a long baseball season,” Bryant said. “We’ll see what happens, but this offseason, so far, I’ve had a really good runway and no hiccups.”

Bryant acknowledged that his back issues will be with him for the rest of his life. Still, he’s encouraged by his current state of health.

“Right now, I definitely have (the pain) under control,” he said. “The big test, of course, will be when I go out there and actually play a baseball game. But I’m super confident in the program that I have been on.”

Black and general manager Bill Schmidt say they plan for Bryant to be Colorado’s primary designed hitter in 2025, with some starts in right field and occasional games at first base behind Michael Toglia.

“I talked to Buddy a couple of weeks ago and he explained the plan to me,” Bryant said. “I’m good with that. I just want to stay healthy and play and compete with the guys. And Toglia has done a fantastic job at first.

“I would love to play all over the field, but there comes a point when you have to figure out what’s best for the team. That’s probably not going to be me because of the young outfielders we have — guys like (Brenton) Doyle and (Jordan) Beck and (Nolan) Jones. Those younger guys. I realize I have to earn that DH spot, but I feel like I can contribute to this team.”

Last season, Bryant’s average exit velocity at the plate was 87.5 mph, below the league average of 88.5. He struck out in 31% of his plate appearances. Schmidt and Black don’t expect Bryant to be the slugger he was during his glory days with the Cubs, but they believe he can deliver the quality at-bats the Rockies have lacked.

Bryant, encouraged by BP sessions with his dad, says he can still deliver some home runs. He’s monitoring his exit velocity and launch angle and likes what he sees.

“I still feel like I have a lot of thump in my bat and a lot to offer on the offensive side,” he said.

Late in September, as another lost season for the Rockies neared its end, Bryant was candid about his physical and emotional state.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it. It’s been terrible,” he said at the time. “It’s been terrible on me, physically and emotionally. I feel like I’ve let a ton of people down.

“There is nobody who feels worse about this than me. There are a lot of nights when I’m upset, I’m depressed. I want to be out there with the guys. It sucks. I want to be on road trips, I want to play.”

Bryant’s outlook has done a 180-degree turn since then.

“I’ve been pretty happy with all of it,” he said. “I feel like players are going to tell the press every offseason, ‘This is the best shape I’ve ever been in.’ I’m not going to give you any of that.

“I’m always super hard on myself, but this offseason, I’m at peace with what I’m seeing, and I’m super-encouraged. It’s put me in a good headspace.”

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