Kris Bryant has no intentions of altering his swing again

MESA, Ariz. — Kris Bryant is 100 percent healthy.

Let's get that out of the way right now.

The Cubs superstar showed up to Cubs camp this spring with only a memory of the shoulder injury that hampered him in 2018.

He said he took about a month off after last year ended to let his shoulder fully heal and then got back into the swing of things (pun intended). He felt soreness in that left shoulder initially, but said it was only natural soreness from use, not a re-injury or aggravation of any kind. 

Nobody can guarantee the tricky shoulder injury will come back, but Bryant did everything he could this winter to make sure it was firmly in the rearview mirror. He said he even got to the point where his left shoulder was stronger than the right and he was doing more weight on his left side.

Now that he's in camp, Bryant does not plan to ease into things and is "looking to do damage." 

He also has no intentions of ever going back to that two-handed finish to his swing that became a major talking point late last season.

MLB

Cubs Playoffs Sep 21

MLB wild card standings: Cubs maintain slim lead even in loss

Los Angeles Dodgers Sep 20

Giant bubble, wild goose fly over field during Dodgers-Tigers game

"Last year, I could understand it, trying to battle through certain things, maybe trying to alleviate what I was feeling," Bryant said. "But I've been a really dang good baseball player with that swing my whole life. I was looking at me when I was 8 years old and I swung the same way.

"I'm not gonna change anything just because I had an injury last year. I'm over the injury. I've done everything I needed to do to get over it and I'm back to who I am."

Bryant initially injured that shoulder on a headfirst dive into first base in Cincinnati last May. He obviously doesn't want to do that again, but also admitted his instincts take over sometimes. 

He's entering his age-27 season and looking for a rebound after setting new career lows pretty much across the board from an offensive profile. 

Now that the shoulder is no longer a stressor weighing him down, Bryant is ready to just focus on baseball.

"I know how to hit, I know how to finish with one hand," he said. "That's always been who I am. I have no concerns whatsoever about my swing. Now I just have to worry about what that guy's throwing to me and how he's going to try to get me out and try to put all my focus into that, which is refreshing."