Baseball Injuries Stack Up Across Major Leagues Persistently
Baseball's Injury Woes: Modern Pitchers Take a Beating
The 2025 Major League Baseball season is in full swing, and key players are dropping like flies. Pitchers, in particular, seem to be struggling with more injuries than ever before.
Lucas Giolito joined the Boston Red Sox in 2024, but not without a hefty price tag of $38.5 million for a two-year contract. He threw his first pitch for Boston on April 30, 2025, while Tony Gonsolin made his return to the big leagues after a 631-day absence, opening the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Meanwhile, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell signed lucrative deals with the Dodgers, but have disappointingly missed out on crucial playing time.
Gerrit Cole, another high-profile signing, won't be playing this season due to an injury. Spencer Strider, Grayson Rodriguez, and Justin Steele were also sidelined with various injuries, leaving coaches and fans disheartened.
Mark Prior, Dodgers' pitching coach, recently shared his concerns about the current state of pitcher injuries in the game. "It’s not a good quality of life," Prior said, emphasizing the impact on all parties involved. "For anybody."
The Dodgers team is actively exploring ways to integrate younger pitchers into the Major League level to minimize the chances of injury. As Prior explained, "It’s all about preparing them for the daily grind of MLB pitching."
Research suggests that several factors contribute to the high injury rates among modern starting pitchers: increased velocity demands, workload and fatigue management issues, biomechanical stress, and the increased scrutiny on injuries in the digital age.
It's becoming clear that something needs to change to protect these athletes and keep the game of baseball enjoyable for fans, players, and teams alike. As of now, however, no clear solution is in sight.
Here's a peek into the biomechanics of modern pitching and the factors contributing to the high injury rates:
- Increased Velocity Demands
- Workload and Fatigue Management
- Biomechanical Stress
- Injury Risk by the Numbers
Despite the challenges, baseball communities are staying hopeful and looking for innovative ways to mitigate the injury risks and safeguard the future of the sport.
- The Dodgers, facing a string of injuries among their pitchers, are aggressively integrating younger pitchers into the Major League level to minimize the chances of injury.
- In the 2025 Major League Baseball season, pitchers seem to be struggling with more injuries than ever before, even high-profile signings like Gerrit Cole have had to sit out due to injuries.
- Pitchers in modern sports, such as baseball, have been affected by increased velocity demands, biomechanical stress, workload and fatigue management issues, and the increased scrutiny on injuries in the digital age, which contribute to their high injury rates.
- Fans, players, and teams alike are growing concerned about the injury woes in baseball, as research indicates it is becoming imperative to change the approach to protect the health of these athletes and ensure the sport's longevity.
