Bryant hopes shot will help his aching back

Star outfielder hasn’t played since April 25

PHOENIX — The Rockies could sure use a healthy Kris Bryant in their struggling lineup.

The left fielder hopes that receiving a cortisone injection in his sore lower back on Monday will get him back in action, sooner rather than later.

“We are going to get a shot because we haven’t seen much progress,” the left fielder said Sunday afternoon after the Rockies’ 4-0 loss to Arizona. “The doctors seemed to say that this will definitely help out quite a bit.”

Bryant said the back issue “is more than just a (pulled) muscle, it’s deeper than that.”

“I know what a (pulled) muscle feels like,” Bryant added.

The Rockies, however, have said that tests of Bryant’s back have revealed no structural damage.

Bryant, who signed a seven-year, $172 million freeagent deal to join the Rockies, has not played since April 25 at Philadelphia. He’s been playing light catch with head trainer Keith Dugger but has not begun swinging a bat.

“Just me, personally, I felt like I just wasn’t seeing enough progress, quicker. And me, being impatient, I just think (getting the shot) tomorrow would be best,” he said.

Bryant, who will continue rehabbing his back at the Rockies’ Salt River Fields complex in Scottsdale, will miss the club’s next three games at San Francisco. That series begins Monday night.

He said that once his back starts feeling better, he might need to play one or two rehab games with Triple-a Albuquerque in order to get his timing back. Slumping.

The Rockies continued to player outfielder Sam Hilliard in hopes he will get hot. But he went 0-for-7 in the three-game series at Arizona and is mired in a 1-for-21 slump over his last seven games.