Daniel Bard’s latest comeback has hit a roadblock.
The veteran right-hander, whom the club hopes will compete for the closer’s job this season, will undergo arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Bard, 38, said he expects his recovery time to be five to seven weeks, meaning he will not pitch in Cactus League games during spring training and will begin the regular season on the injured list.
Rockies pitchers and catchers hold their first official workouts of camp on Wednesday and it now appears that right-handers Justin Lawrence and Tyler Kinley will compete for the ninth-inning job.
Bard was gearing up for spring training when the knee injury occurred.
“I tweaked my knee while I was throwing about 10 days ago and it was causing some problems,” Bard told The Post in a phone interview from his home in Greenville, S.C. “I was playing normal catch stuff and I moved a little awkwardly and I felt something kind of pop.”
Bard will undergo the surgery near his home in Greenville. He will recover for a few days at his home before flying to Scottsdale, Ariz., to join the Rockies at their complex at Salt River Fields.
In July 2022, just before the trade deadline, Bard signed a two-year, $19 million contract to remain with the Rockies through the 2024 season.
When he signed his deal, Bard was in the midst of an excellent season in which he notched 34 saves, put up a 1.79 ERA, had a terrific 28.2% strikeout rate, and had a walk rate of just 10.2%. Colorado had received strong trade interest in Bard but it opted to extend the veteran’s contract instead. The deal has not panned out.
Bard’s 2023 season began with a stint on the injured list as he dealt with the reoccurrence of anxiety issues that had derailed his career. The season ended with Bard back on the IL in September because of forearm fatigue and tightness. The injury was diagnosed as a flexor strain in his right elbow. The injury did not require surgery but Bard did have platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections.
“The knee (injury) is just another challenge to overcome,” Bard said. “It was going to be a little bit of a slower ramp up this spring because of my arm. I was about a month into my throwing program when I hurt my knee.
“The good news is that I’ve been told that I will only have to take a few days up to a week off from throwing, so I shouldn’t get set back too far, at least arm-wise.”
Bard posted a 4.56 ERA last season across 50 relief appearances. His 1.70 WHIP was the second-highest of his career (1.74, 2012 with Boston) and ranked as the third-highest among major league relievers. He also had a sky-high 21.1% walk rate as he struggled with control and command.
According to Bard, he had a “clean MRI” before signing his contract with the Rockies. But the right-hander admitted that he dealt with arm pain for much of last season, and even at the tail end of the 2022 season.
“I just want to get back to pitching, and pitching well, and pain-free, or at least close to pain-free,” Bard said. “Last year, I think my arm affected me more than I realized. I thought it was just something that was typical soreness of pitching.”
Now, however, Bard believes his arm problems were the root cause of a dramatic dip in fastball velocity. In 2022, Bard’s fastball hummed at 98 mph but he averaged just 94.8 mph in ’23.
“I think I was lacking some strength in my arm and I think your body starts to kind of protect itself and doesn’t allow you to get to full speed,” Bard said. “I also think you tend to over-grip and manipulate the baseball when your arm is trying to protect the elbow area. So I think that affects your command and I was battling that all of last year.”
Bard originally signed as a free agent with the Rockies before the 2020 season after being absent for seven years in the majors as he dealt with “the yips” and labored to conquer his control issues. Bard was named the National League comeback player of the year.
But wildness resurfaced during the 2023 World Baseball Classic when he had a 43.20 ERA in three appearances for Team USA. He allowed eight runs, five hits and four walks in 1 2/3 innings.
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