Rockies activate closer Daniel Bard from IL

The Rockies have reinstated closer Daniel Bard from the injured list and optioned righty Peter Lambert to Triple-A Albuquerque in a corresponding move, per a team announcement.

Bard hasn’t pitched yet this season, as he opened the year on the injured list due to anxiety issues that have plagued him throughout his career. Bard was candid and forthcoming about his ongoing battle with anxiety, telling Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette back in late March: 

“It’s a hard thing to admit, but I’ve been through this before. I have enough going on outside the game to realize what’s important … I’m extremely grateful to be in an organization that understands these things and is accepting.”

Anxiety all but ended Bard’s career at one point. From 2013-19, he pitched just one big league inning. His successful age-35 comeback with the Rockies in 2020 following a six-year absence from the major leagues was one of the most remarkable returns in recent memory. That he not only made it back to the majors but returned to his status as an elite reliever in 2022 is all the more incredible.

Bard’s 2022 campaign was nothing short of a triumph; he piled up 60 1/3 innings of 1.79 ERA ball, recording a career-high 34 saves while punching out 28.2% of his opponents against a 10.2% walk rate. Bard, who averaged 97.9 mph on his fastball last year, was dominant to the point that the Rockies opted to sign him to a two-year, $19M extension just prior to last year’s trade deadline rather than field trade offers. He had otherwise been slated to reach free agency at season’s end.

Bard’s 2023 struggles began in the World Baseball Classic, when he lost command of the strike zone in the United States’ matchup against Venezuela, issuing a pair of walks, throwing a wild pitch and plunking Jose Altuve with a 96 mph sinker that wound up fracturing the second baseman’s thumb. Bard pitched with the Rockies during the Cactus League following that nightmarish WBC outing but ultimately decided it was best for his own health and for the team that he begin the season on the IL.

Though he’s been on the injured list, Bard remained with the team throughout that stint, continued throwing side sessions and recently embarked on a brief minor league rehab stint. It was just one inning, but Bard allowed only a single to Fernando Tatis Jr. and struck out the other three batters he faced. Seventeen of his 23 pitches were strikes — an encouraging sign for both him and the team.

The Rockies haven’t stated whether Bard will jump right back into the closer’s role or will ease back into that setting. Pierce Johnson leads the team with three saves but has walked six of his 33 opponents while pitching to a 5.40 ERA. He’s also fanned 11 of 33 hitters and allowed just one home run, and the bulk of the damage against Johnson came in one blown save against the Cardinals.