The Rockies’ best-laid plans for 2022 included a potent outfield with powerful bats. That’s why the club signed left fielder Kris Bryant to a seven-year, $172 million contract and traded Raimel Tapia to Toronto for Randal Grichuk.

“We’ve been looking for another power bat, and I think we acquired one with Grichuk,” general manager Bill Schmidt said when the trade went down in late March. “He can play center field. He can play all three outfield spots. We needed to get more impact in our lineup.”

So much for best-laid plans.

Bryant has been hurt for most of the season and might not return as he continues dealing with plantar fasciitis. In the 42 games in which he has played, Bryant hit just five home runs.

Although Grichuk has started to heat up lately, he has not delivered as Colorado had hoped. He’s hit only 13 homers and his 3.0 home run percentage is by far the lowest since he became a full-time major leaguer in 2015.

The Rockies’ outfielders have hit just 26 home runs, which ranks 27th in the major leagues. By comparison, last year, Rockies outfielders hit 46 homers, ranking 29th in baseball. Last year, the outfield’s OPS was .719, ranking 21st. This year, the OPS is .692 (19th).

The Rockies entered the season expecting a rebound performance from Charlie Blackmon, who hit a career-low 13 home runs in 2021. They were also hoping Sam Hilliard, a big, strong, athletic player with power potential, would take a big step forward.

Blackmon, 36, has hit 16 home runs so far, putting him on pace to finish with 19. That’s a step up from his disappointing 2021 season, but a far cry from 2019 when he had 32 homers.

Hilliard ranks as one of the season’s biggest disappointments. He’s been getting plenty of chances to prove himself, but he’s hitting just .184 with a .544 OPS and two home runs. And his old bugaboo, strikeouts, is rearing its ugly head. Hilliard has fanned in 28.5% of his plate appearances. Most disconcerting has been Hilliard’s dramatic power outage. In 2019, Hilliard smacked seven homers in just 27 games.

While 31-year-old rookie outfielder Wynton Bernard has made for a terrific story, he has 42 at-bats in the big leagues with no home runs and just one double.

The Rockies also had high hopes for Connor Joe, but he’s seen diminished playing time due to a second-half swoon. He’s appeared in just 19 games since the All-Star break, hitting .131 (8-for-61). Joe hit eight home runs in 211 plate appearances last season but has only six this season in 446 plate appearances.

And Yonathan Daza, currently on the injured list with a shoulder injury, has just three home runs in 743 big-league plate appearances. Utility player Garrett Hampson, who’s played center field in 19 games, has seen very little playing time and that’s not allowed him to get into any kind of groove. He hit 11 home runs last season, but only two so far this season.

The offseason could well determine the future of players such as Hilliard, Bernard, Daza and Hampson.

But the Rockies will need a big bounce-back from Bryant, Blackmon and Grichuk, all of whom are in line for big paychecks in 2023. Bryant is scheduled to make $27 million, Blackmon $18 million, and Grichuk $9.3 million.

Grichuk, at least, is beginning to show signs of the player the Rockies hoped he was when they acquired him. He’s hitting .338 (41-for-121) in 34 games since the All-Star break and his 18 RBIs since the break leads the team.

“He’s been swinging well, especially against lefties,” manager Bud Black said recently, noting Grichuk’s .317/.343/.576 slash line against left-handed pitching this season. “Over the last month, month and a half, you’ve seen his average climb (now .275). He’s doing his part.”

But if the Rockies want to take a step forward in 2013, the entire outfield will have to do its part. And do it a lot better.

On Deck

Rockies RHP Jose Urena (2-5, 5.98 ERA) at Braves LHP Max Fried (12-4, 2.52)
5:20 p.m. Tuesday, Truist Park
TV: ATTRM
Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM

If Urena, a pending free agent, wants to hook up with the Rockies, or any other big-league team next season, he has to reverse course. The right-hander is coming off the worst start of his career last Wednesday against Texas when he allowed nine runs on nine hits in just 1 1/3 innings. Urena had pitched at least six innings in each of his three previous starts, and had pitched at least six innings in six of his 10 starts with Colorado. Urena has faced the Braves 18 times (15 starts), his most against any club. He has not fared well, going 2-9 with a 6.50 ERA. In his eight starts, he’s 2-2 with a 4.82 ERA.

Last Tuesday, Fried allowed only three hits in eight innings, leading the Braves to a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh. Fried struck out seven and walked one, retiring 20 of the final 23 batters he faced. He allowed just one run. The All-Star lefty pitched eight innings for the second time this season. The other gem? It came against the Rockies on June 3 at Coors Field when he allowed just two hits and no runs. He’s faced the Rockies four times in his career (three starts) going 1-1 with a 2.86 ERA.

Trending: Wynton Bernard, the 31-year-old rookie outfielder, has been using his speed to his advantage. His three stolen bases are tied for fifth on the club and six of his 12 hits have been infield singles. His 30.1 feet-per-second sprint speed ranks eighth in the majors.

At issue: The Rockies’ .292 on-base percentage on the road is the seventh-lowest in the majors and the third-lowest in the National League.

Pitching probables:

Wednesday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (2-5, 5.87) at Braves RHP Kyle Wright (16-5, 2.99), 5:20 p.m., ATTRM
Thursday: Rockies RHP Chad Kuhl (6-7, 5.17) at Braves RHP Spencer Strider (8-4, 2.87), 5:20 p.m., ATTRM