Kris Bryant's struggles continue in his return to Chicago Is it time to move him down in the lineup?

Yes, it’s early. Yes, there are a lot of other Rockies that aren’t hitting either. But Kris Bryant needs to move out of the top of the lineup. Bryant has hit either second or fourth in the order in all five games he’s played this year, yielding absolutely zero production outside of a couple of hit by pitches and a walk. Bryant is an abysmal 0-16 with eight strikeouts this season after another hitless night against the Cubs on Tuesday night, and the at bats look uncompetitive. While there aren’t a lot of great options to slide up in this Rockies order and acknowledging they have struck a good balance of righty-lefty alternation, there has been little to no offensive output from both Bryant and the Rockies lineup.

So what changes could the Rox make? First off, Ryan McMahon should move up in the order. McMahon has been the Rockies’ best hitter out of the five hole, batting .400 in the young season and turning in quality at bats every night. McMahon has earned the opportunity to start a few games in the two, three, or four spot.

Although the production may not be there yet numbers-wise, Elias Diaz and Elehuris Montero have put together far better at bats than Bryant so far, and I would rather see one of them in the four hole if the Rockies are insistent on keeping a right-left-right-left mix in the top of their order.

Finally, they could also consider moving up Brenton Doyle or Ezequiel Tovar into the two hole, dropping both a struggling Brendan Rodgers as well as Bryant. Both Tovar and Doyle have shown offensive progression and do not appear to be overmatched at the plate, turning in some of the better at bats so far this season. Obviously, Nolan Jones' tough start to the season is further complicating the middle of the order, but I have much more faith in Jones to turn it around then Bryant or Rodgers.

The Kris Bryant era in Colorado has gone downhill fast since signing him to the monster seven-year, $182 million contract before the 2022 season. The hope was that the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field could help him recapture some of that magic that won him a Rookie of the Year in 2015 and an MVP the following year in 2016. In the first three seasons of his career, Bryant hit .288 with 94 home runs and 274 RBI, playing in over 150 games in each of these seasons.

Since joining the Rockies, Bryant has hit .250 with only 15 home runs in only 127 games. Bryant followed up a very odd 2022 season in which he hit .306 with only five home runs in 42 games with a measly .233 and 10 homers last season. Bryant’s inability to stay on the field and provide much offensive output when he is on the field has caused Rockies fans to scratch their heads at the contract the organization shelled out for him.

Honestly, if it weren’t for the PR nightmare that is Anthony Rendon, Kris Bryant’s contract would be talked about in a very similar light at this juncture. Bryant has more than enough time to turn it around, but at the current rate it is going, things do not look good…at all. 

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