How will Rockies keep Bryant healthy in 2025?

LOS ANGELES -- Before Saturday night’s game against the Dodgers, Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt, along with agent Scott Boras and his associates, met in an open area of the lower seating bowl at Dodger Stadium -- not unusual, considering the number of Rockies players and prospects that Boras represents.

But three notable attendees -- Rockies head athletic trainer Keith Dugger, director of physical performance Gabe Bauer and physical performance coordinator Mike Jasperson -- made the conference a little more than informal.

Boras client Kris Bryant was on the injured list and nowhere near this assembly, but he knew exactly what was happening.

This season, the third of Bryant’s seven-year, $182 million contract, will end with him having played just 37 games because of back injuries and an oblique issue. Bryant played 42 games in 2022 and 80 last year. No one likes that he played fewer this year, so it’s all specialists on deck to make sure he’s on the field more regularly in ’25.

“He’s figuring it out -- that he has to do some things to get back to the player that he wants to be,” Schmidt said on Sunday morning. “We’ve seen some good stuff here in the last few weeks. And we all want to be on the same page.”

Bryant has been in the dugout during home games but is an otherwise scarce presence in the clubhouse. Bryant’s day begins by staying aside while teammates use the exercise and maintenance facilities to prepare for games. Then he steps in and does a prescribed rehab that won’t get him on the field before the season ends in a week, but is designed to reach the elusive goal of consistent back health.

Tall and naturally strong and durable, Bryant earned National League Rookie of the Year honors in 2015 and was NL Most Valuable Player as the Cubs won the World Series in 2016. His gifts allowed him four All-Star Game appearances through 2021. He was part of a playoff team for the Giants when traded there in ’21.

The Rockies signed him in Spring Training 2022, after a lockout. Whether missing Spring Training time waiting to be cleared to sign put him off pace, the spate of injuries showed up not long after he put on a Rockies uniform.

Headed into his age-33 season, Bryant has to embrace the fact he is no longer in that rare category of guys who simply suit up and succeed.

The Bryant that excelled elsewhere but hasn’t shown up in Denver could boost a lineup full of young players who are improving but lack big-game experience. But each stretch that Bryant is unavailable means opportunity for others. During Bryant’s last return to the lineup, Michael Toglia grabbed the first-base job that has been Bryant’s. Younger options have gotten playing time in his absence and fancy themselves as competitors for at-bats and starts.

But with the investment and the memory of what Bryant has provided to teams past, the Rockies believe they will be better with Bryant.

“We need the Kris Bryant that Kris Bryant believes he can be, and that’s a very good offensive player who gets on base, scores runs, knocks in runs, hits homers,” Rockies manager Bud Black said on Sunday. “So he’s in the process of a very strict, consistent back maintenance program that Kris is committed to. Kris knows he needs this regimen.”

Things will be regimented this winter, even after Bryant returns to his Las Vegas offseason home.

“We’ll send ‘Jaspy’ [Jasperson] and Gabe to Vegas, and we’ll make sure that he comes to Denver to be evaluated, so there are a lot of good things in place,” Black said.