PHILADELPHIA -- Kris Bryant headed back to the injured list Wednesday with a low back strain, the latest in a long line of injuries for the former National League Most Valuable Player.

The bad news didn't stop there for the Rockies, who couldn't complete a late-inning charge before dropping a 7-6 decision to the Phillies, closing out a disappointing road trip with their fifth straight loss.

Bryant suffered the injury after crashing into the outfield wall in Toronto during the first inning of Saturday's game, and while the Rockies hoped the 32-year-old would avoid the IL, the issue continued to linger into the middle of the week.

Bryant remained in Saturday's game after hurting his back, even hitting a double in his next at-bat. He was removed two innings later and hasn't played since, allowing Colorado to back-date the IL stint to April 14.

In 13 games this season, Bryant is slashing .149/.273/.255 with one home run and six RBIs. He had collected three hits in his first eight at-bats of the Blue Jays series, giving him some optimism that he had turned a corner at the plate.

"I knew that it wasn't in a good spot, but I just wanted to keep competing," Bryant said. "Especially after the first game there when I kind of figured some things out offensively that I wanted to do, which makes this all the more frustrating because I felt like I was moving towards a good spot. Sometimes those are the cards you're dealt, and as frustrating as it is, I hope I can get through this fairly quickly."

Bryant is eligible to return next Wednesday. Rockies manager Bud Black suggested Bryant's absence might not be lengthy.

"He's one of our potentially best players," Black said. "You want your best players on the field. KB got off to a tough start, for sure, but only 10 or 12 games of KB, there's still so much season left. We're hoping he can right the ship and do what he does. This is a setback for sure; hopefully it's just the minimum."

Bryant has spent considerable time on the IL since joining the Rockies in 2022, appearing in only 135 games over two-plus years. He had played at least 144 games in five of his first six full seasons, making his injury woes in Colorado all the more exasperating.

"As tough as this game is, as tough as 162 games is, it's kind of important to play longer because then you kind of get the rhythm, you see more pitches, you understand the strike zone better," Bryant said. "That makes it more frustrating for me, because you want to play long stretches at a time. That's when you're at your best."

The Rockies have been playing shorthanded for the past few days, missing Brendan Rodgers and Jake Cave (stomach bug) in addition to Bryant. Cave recovered from the bug, but Rodgers was still feeling the effects of the illness Wednesday. He pinch-ran in the eighth inning as the Rockies tried to rally from a 7-1 deficit.

Colorado, which had managed just one unearned run on five hits in six innings against Cristopher Sánchez, scored five runs on four hits and three walks in the eighth before falling short. The Rockies headed back to Denver with a 1-5 record on the road trip, dropping to 0-5 in one-run games this season.

"We have to have at-bats like we had there in the eighth, laying off pitches," Black said. "Tonight was an example of the chase [coming] back to haunt us. The chase rate is something we've talked about in Spring Training, we started talking about it last September; it hasn't come to fruition as far as a group laying off the low breaking ball."

Outfielder Sean Bouchard was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque to take Bryant's spot on the roster, going 1-for-3 with two walks and a run scored. After struggling in Spring Training (.205/.308/.341 with 16 strikeouts in 52 plate appearances), the 27-year-old got off to a hot start in the Minors, slashing .315/.431/.611 with 13 RBI in 14 games.

"It's all just about being where your feet are," said Bouchard, who made the final out with the tying run on second base. "It's kind of a rallying cry. There's only so much I can control. Just trying to do the little things; preparation, the foundational stuff, getting into my load, getting into my legs, making sure I was the guy that I was, which I unfortunately didn't do a whole lot during camp. Such is life and now we're here."