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With each new Kris Bryant update, it seems like the former Chicago Cubs MVP is getting closer to the day when he is no longer an active Major League Baseball player. Back injuries have defined Bryant's time with the Colorado Rockies, having surgery as recently as this season in an attempt to get back on the field. Unfortunately, the latest update makes it sound like very little progress has been made.
#Rockies DH Kris Bryant said his back still isn't responding to running, but he is able to work out and do light hitting. He plans a phone consult with a New York doctor tomorrow and will visit another doctor in Dallas as he considers "experimental treatment" shy of surgery
— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) July 6, 2025
It's hard to envision a path back to the Major League level for Bryant. Even when Bryant was on the field for the Rockies, the back injuries made him a shell of the player that once was destined to be the next face of Major League Baseball. In 41 plate appearances this season before the first back surgery, Bryant slashed .154/.195/.205 with a -4 wRC+.
Bryant is in the middle of a seven-year deal worth $182MM, but as one Rockies' insider puts it, the safe bet may be that the former World Series hero has played his last game with not only the Rockies, but in Major League Baseball.
Injuries stink. Always root for athletes to recover. I just don’t see Bryant playing again. And I definitely don’t see him playing for Rockies again. https://t.co/9qMCM5flDg
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) July 6, 2025
Cubs fans can’t help but feel gutted after hearing Kris Bryant’s update
As painful as the 2021 trade was, the Cubs made the right decision to move on from Bryant. It's a rare case where Scott Boras' preference to get his clients to free agency worked in the Cubs' favor. There were reports that Bryant and the Cubs wanted to get an extension done before, potentially worth $200MM, but Boras ultimately guided away from the potential contract. Sure, Caleb Kilian and Alexander Canario didn't work out for the Cubs, but a $200MM swing-and-miss only would have furthered the spending reservations that Tom Ricketts currently has.
Of course, if Javier Baez can be an All-Star outfielder in 2025, it's a reminder to never say never. Just as Baez defied logic and returned to baseball relevancy, there's a non-zero percent chance Bryant can do the same. However, time seems to be quickly running out on the former Cubs' third baseman as he tries to avoid another back surgery.