Rockies reliever Daniel Bard will have surgery to repair a torn meniscus in left knee

FILE - Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Daniel Bard throws against the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Colorado Rockies said reliever Daniel Bard will have surgery Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies said reliever Daniel Bard will have surgery Wednesday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

There's no timetable for Bard's return. Rockies pitchers and catchers report Wednesday for physicals before the start of spring training in Scottsdale, Arizona., a day ahead of Colorado's first workout.

Bard got hurt last week during a throwing session, according to The Denver Post. Bard is entering the the final season of a $19 million, two-year deal.

“I was playing normal catch stuff and I moved a little awkwardly and I felt something pop,” Bard told the Post, the first to report his injury.

The right-hander appeared in 50 games last season, going 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA and one save. Bard missed time at the start of the 2023 season due to anxiety, which he said he experienced both on and off the field.

He signed as a free agent with the Rockies before the 2020 season after missing the previous seven years as he dealt with severe control issues. Those issues resurfaced during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, when he had a 43.20 ERA in three appearances for the U.S. He allowed eight runs, five hits and four walks in 1 2/3 innings.

Bard was a first-round draft pick of Boston in the 2006 amateur draft and made his big league debut in 2009.

He had 34 saves in 2022.

Colorado was 59-103 last year, the first 100-loss season in franchise history.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb