Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant was pulled from Saturday’s game against the Phillies with an injury during the third inning. The club is calling his status “day-to-day.”
Bryant, the designated hitter Saturday, was due to hit in the third inning but was pinch-hit for by Elehuris Montero. According to manager Bud Black, Bryant experienced pain in the sacroiliac joint (SI) and glute on his left side during a long first-inning at-bat that ended with Bryant striking out. The SI joint links the pelvis and lower spine.
“When he put his foot down and landed, there was a little bit of pain,” Black told AT&T SportsNet after the game. “I think it’s in his SI joint and his glute. There is a little bit of a sharp pain, but nothing really to do with the back.”
Black called the injury “a day-to-day thing,” adding, “We just need it to calm down.”
Bryant, who entered the game hitting .291 with three home runs, played only 42 games last season because of a lower back injury suffered early in the season followed by plantar fasciitis. Bryant also dealt with some back soreness during spring training this year.
Bryant, 31, signed a seven-year, $182 million contract with Colorado prior to the 2022 season, the largest free-agent contract in franchise history.
Sunday’s Pitching Matchup
Rockies RHP Jose Urena (0-3, 9.82 ERA) at Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (1-1, 4.79)
10:05 a.m. Sunday, Citizens Bank Park
TV: PEACOCK
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Urena continues to struggle and his spot in the rotation is in doubt when German Marquez returns from the injured list, possibly this week. The right-hander allowed five runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings in a loss to the Pirates last Tuesday. He has allowed seven home runs, tied for the second-most in the majors entering the weekend. He’s made 18 appearances and 13 starts against the Phillies in his career, going 3-6 with a 4.62 ERA. Urena is 2-3 with a 6.07 ERA in six starts at Citizens Bank Park, the last coming in 2019.
Wheeler dominated the Rockies last season in his one start against them, pitching six scoreless innings and allowing just one hit and four walks while striking out seven. For his career, Wheeler is 2-2 with a 5.16 ERA across four starts vs. Colorado. He notched his first win of the season on Tuesday in the first game of a doubleheader against the White Sox, giving up four runs on eight hits over five innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.
Pitching probables
Monday: Rockies LHP Austin Gomber (0-4, 12.12) at Guardians RHP Cal Quantrill (1-1, 4.15), 4:10 p.m., ATTRM
Tuesday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-2, 6.16) at Guardians RHP Peyton Battenfield (0-1, 1.69), ATTRM
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