Rockies place closer Daniel Bard on IL as he deals with anxiety

Colorado Rockies made a late roster move prior to Opening Day, placing closer Daniel Bard on the injured list (IL) due to anxiety. 

Bard did not want to keep it a secret either, telling Danielle Allentuck of The Gazette this is something he has dealt with in his MLB career before. 

“It’s a hard thing to admit,” Bard said. “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.”

What Bard struggled with in the past was control of his pitches, or more commonly known in the baseball world as the “yips.” 

Bard’s World Baseball Classic play with Team USA is where many believe it started to come back again, especially on the errant fastball that broke Houston Astros star Jose Altuve’s hand as he played for Venezuela. 

Bard was one of the more reliable relievers in the game when he broke into MLB with the Boston Red Sox in 2009. However, by 2012, his reliability skyrocketed and control over his stuff was suffering by the game. 

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After just two appearances with Boston in 2013, Bard did not see the majors again until 2020, seven years later. His ascent back was a miracle, and after posting a 3.65 ERA in 23 appearances, he was named the NL Comeback Player of the Year. 

Bard struggled in 2021 with a 5.21 ERA, but was one of the best relievers in baseball last season with a 1.79 ERA over 57 outings with the Rockies, collecting 34 saves along the way. 

That earned him a two-year, $19 million contract to remain in Colorado this offseason, and the Rockies are hoping to protect their investment by placing him on the IL now and trying to get Bard right again. 

Bard is not the only major league player to be open about the “yips.” Former St. Louis Cardinal Rick Ankiel famously reinvented himself as a ballplayer to remain in the bigs after he could not find the strike zone as a pitcher.

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Ankiel ended up going back down to the minors after pitching for the Cardinals from 1999-2004 to become an outfielder. He would finally get the call back to the bigs in 2007, where he hit .285 in 47 games. 

He would end up bouncing around MLB, but ended up with an 11-year career and a .240 batting average over 651 games. 

At 37 years old, Bard taking Ankiel’s path does not seem to be an option, but the Rockies are willing to work with him to get their closer back in the bullpen as soon as he feels ready.