A couple months ago, we were reminded just how bad things have been for Kris Bryant with the Colorado Rockies, where he signed four years ago. Since then, he’s played in just 170 games total, hitting .244/.324/.370/82 wRC+, and posting a -1.8 WAR. It could scarcely have gone worse from a playing perspective. But even worse, it has been terrible from a physical perspective, with multiple injuries popping up over the years. On the latest, despite being out since mid-April with a degenerative disc condition, it sounds like Kris Bryant is still battling his back. From the Denver Post: ‘Every morning, Kris Bryant wakes up and tests his lower back, hoping the pain and stiffness have lessened. Every morning, he’s disappointed. “I wish I had better things to tell you,” Bryant said from his home in Las Vegas. “It’s not in the best shape, and that’s pretty disheartening for me. 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.”’ It does not get any better from there, and you can read the piece here. Retirement isn’t yet on the table, but mostly because it sounds like Bryant can’t yet think of himself as anything other than a baseball player. Hopefully some of the work he’s doing this offseason to recover will be productive, and he can find a way to stay on the field in 2026. The money is inarguably great, but it can’t fix your body or your mindset when you’re only 34 and the game is being taken away from you. I just feel terrible for the guy. He was a Cubs hero, and always will be, but even just at a human level, it’s impossible not to root for a rebound with the Rockies.