Rockies OF Bryant leaves vs. Blues Jays due to stiff back

TORONTO (AP) — Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black said he doesn’t expect outfielder Kris Bryant to miss significant time after the former NL MVP left Saturday’s game at Toronto in the fourth inning because of soreness in his right ribs and back.

“Don’t think it’s bad but we’ll see how it is overnight,” Black said. “Hoping he’s back in there tomorrow and it resolves itself.”

A four-time All-Star and the 2016 NL MVP, Bryant felt sore after he twisted and crashed into the outfield wall after making a catch on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s deep drive in the first.

“That ball was hit hard,” Black said. “It wasn’t like a fly ball, it was more of a line drive. It got out there pretty quickly so Kris had to react. He ended up making the catch knowing that the wall was there and there was going to be contact and he hung on, so that was a good play.”

Bryant got loose in the cage and doubled in the second but continued to stiffen up before striking out in the fourth.

Michael Toglia took over defensively in the bottom half.

Bryant came in batting .133 with one home run and six RBIs. He was held out of the starting lineup for last Saturday’s game against Tampa Bay because of tightness in his lower back. Bryant returned the following day and went 0 for 3 with a walk.

Now in his 10th big league season, Bryant debuted with the Chicago Cubs in 2015, when he was the NL rookie of the year. He won the World Series and the NL MVP award with the Cubs in 2016.

Bryant was traded to San Francisco in 2021 and signed a seven-year deal with Colorado before the 2022 season.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb