Editorial Commentary: Time on the Injured List Is Increasing Despite Efforts to Prevent Baseball Injuries

As salaries in professional baseball increase, so does the financial burden associated with injury. Unfortunately, despite all our efforts to prevent injury, and with all the recent advancements with rehabilitation, monitoring, equipment, etc., the total number of days on the Injured List is increasing. There are several potential reasons for this, including emphasis on ball velocity and other performance metrics, strategic utilization of the Injured List, and concerns over the efficacy of injury prevent programs, among others. Regardless, there is no doubt that we need further research in injury prevention and management for baseball athletes. Ultimately, it would be in professional organizations' best interests to identify even small improvements that would add up in a big way; return an athlete one game earlier here, or prevent a missed start there, and these small nudges could culminate in a massive financial savings.