Kris Bryant‘s balky back has landed him back on the Colorado Rockies‘ injured list.
The Rockies announced Wednesday that they placed the outfielder on the 10-day IL because of a lower-back strain. The move was made retroactive to Monday.
He had just returned from the injured list on Saturday after missing 21 games because of back pain. He played two games against the New York Mets but hasn’t played since.
Bryant, who signed a seven-year, $182 million free-agent deal in March, is still looking for his first home run with the Rockies. He is now batting .278 with four RBIs and 15 strikeouts in 74 plate appearances.
The Rockies called up right-handed pitcher Ryan Feltner from Triple-A Albuquerque on Wednesday to take Bryant’s roster spot and gave Feltner his fourth career start as they wrapped up a three-game set in Pittsburgh.
Feltner pitched five solid innings, allowing two runs, three hits and two walks and seven strikeouts in the Rockies’ 10-5 loss.
Feltner’s bid for his first major-league victory disappeared when the bullpen struggled to Pittsburgh’s scuffling offense in check. Still, Colorado manager Bud Black was pleased with what he saw from the team’s fourth-round pick in the 2018 amateur draft, particularly after getting knocked around a bit in his previous start this season, a loss to Philadelphia last month.
“He’s still finding his way, he is,” Black said. “There’s a learning curve here. A minor-league game is really different from a major league game. But he has a good head on his shoulders and I think he’s going to be fine in the long run.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com