The Colorado Rockies are no strangers to the injured list. Dating back to the days of Troy Tulowitzki, the Rockies ball club has become synonymous with having an all-star injured list. Currently, the Rockies have six players on the injured list from the extended roster and one maybe. The real question is why does the Rockies franchise seem to tie up so much money with injured players every year?
Kyle Freeland landing on the injured list after four games in the 2024 season is concerning, but that is amplified when one factors in that Freeland is the Rockies’ Ace. At the top of the starting rotation, Freeland is supposed to be the cornerstone that the Rockies defense is built on. Some would argue that Freeland was only ever meant to hold the spot till German Marquez returns off the injured list at some point in the late summer, but those are the same people that believe Marquez still has another 230K season in him like he did in 2018. Either way, their ship is a little rudderless without a true Ace to lead the way with dominant starts every five games.
Then there is the Kris Bryant story, which is another sad and expensive tale of injury and disappointment. Recent articles from the blogosphere have called for the booing of Bryant upon his return to Coors Field. This is certainly a testament to the level of frustration and displeasure fans and commentators have regarding the Rockies’ highest paid player, and his underwhelming performance since donning the purple jersey. Bryant himself has even voiced his disappointment in his own performance under the continually mounting pressure and expectation that he should be delivering something better than a .149 batting average. One must wonder if the psychological stress of the situation is a factor in Bryant’s need for 10 days of recovery from the slide he took into the outfield fence on April 17th. It is sad to think the Rockies fans have another four years of watching Bryant perform at this level, especially when Bryant himself makes statements like the ones he told The Athletic in February of this year where he expressed gratitude for playing on a team that no one pays attention to so there is less pressure to perform well.
Another player fans have put a lot of hope into is Nolan Jones, but he is currently sitting out with back tightness. Jones is not actually on the injured list at the time of this writing. That could change and become a chronic issue since this is the second time it has popped up this season. However, Jones is a younger player at 25 years old, and it is reasonable to believe that his body can spring back from minor injuries like this as so many professional athletes do. This is the opposite to the Daniel Bard story, and this club’s willingness to invest in the maybe of him ever playing another major league inning.
Bard, 38, is currently in the final year of a two-year $19 million contract as a closer for the Rockies. However, this year the Rockies are most likely only going to pay Bard all that money to rehab. Bard has said his future is uncertain in baseball, but it is very likely that after this contract expires Bard will retire from the mound for his second and final time. So, Bard is added to the list of players on the Rockies payroll who were once great and are now paid high salaries to watch the team from somewhere other than the dugout while nursing an injury. This is why Rockies fans get excited when a player earning the league minimum, like Hunter Goodman, gets called up to try to bring his homerun hitting streak to the big show because it is all the Rockies can afford after spending all their money on injured veterans.
