Colorado Rockies, Kris Bryant in holding pattern with latest injury

Colorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant met with the media on Thursday morning at Coors Field, wearing a walking boot on his left foot and describing the fight against plantar fasciitis as “not too fun” and “frustrating.”

Since going on the injured list (for the third time this season) with plantar fasciitis, Bryant has been receiving treatment in the hopes of a return to the field before the end of the 2022 campaign. Between back issues, plantar fasciitis, and the birth of his twins, Bryant has played in just 42 games for the Colorado Rockies this season.

“I hit a stretch where I was really seeing the ball well, where every time I went up to the plate I thought I was going to have a really good at-bat,” Bryant said of a July stretch where he slashed .341/.411/.612 in 22 games while still feeling the effects of plantar fasciitis. “I’ve had that a lot throughout my career, but never to a point where I was injured at the same time, so it was like I was trying to ride that wave for as long as I could.”

Bryant said he first began to feel the impact of plantar fasciitis during a road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at the very start of the month, but the issues peaked in the road series in Milwaukee, Colorado’s first after the All-Star break.

How Colorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant is battling plantar fasciitis

Bryant’s current treatment includes “tons of icing,” he said, as well as shockwave and ultrasound therapy, among other remedies.

There is a balance between Bryant rushing to get back to the field before the end of the season and ensuring that plantar fasciitis is not something he is dealing with in the offseason as well. Bryant noted that future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols eventually had to have surgery to relieve his plantar fasciitis condition, but Bryant added “that would be ideal to avoid that type of situation.”

Bryant also added that he is learning about the difficulty of recovery and rehabilitation at altitude.

“In Chicago (when he was with the Cubs), we never talked about that, but in San Francisco (when he was with the Giants last season), they understood and they got it,” Bryant said about the adjustments to altitude. “A lot of the older guys there made me aware that it’s much harder to sleep here and much harder to recover. It’s no joke. It definitely is.

“I definitely have learned a lot in terms of recovery and just keeping up with your health here at elevation.”

There is no timetable for Bryant’s return.