Young Pitchers Have Never Been Worked Less, So Why Are They Still Getting Injured?

Until 2020, every season since 1901 included at least 11 qualified pitchers 25 and under. Teams developed young starters by letting them pitch. But the past four seasons have seen only seven, three, six and eight young starters throw at least one inning for every team game (162 in a full season). It’s not that they can’t do it. It’s because they are being trained to pitch less.

Consider Rodriguez, the Orioles’ righthander, who ranks in the top 90th percentile in velocity and the top 95th percentile in extension. With one month still to go, Rodriguez has started 26 games this season (including the minors), which already is three more than in his previous pro high. He has thrown 134⅓ innings, already 31⅓ innings more than ever before. But he just finished his best month (2–1, 2.64 ERA in five starts) in which he threw 67% strikes.

When reporters asked Orioles manager Brandon Hyde about how far any young pitcher could be pushed in terms of innings increase, he smartly answered, “That’s the case-by-case, super delicate question that nobody has the answer for. Predictors, medical, anybody. There’s not a certain number that you know what’s going to happen.”

He is right, of course. It is as true today with Rodriguez as it was in 2012 with Strasburg. Despite teams’ best efforts to protect young pitchers, nobody has the answer.

Aaron Judge Suffering From Torn Ligament In Big Toe

Aaron Boone said he expects Aaron Judge to return this season but stopped short of guaranteeing it. “That’s an absolute. I can’t say that about anyone.”

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) June 24, 2023

Speaking with MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch and other reporters today, Boone said he believes Judge will be back before the end of the 2023 season, though he didn’t guarantee it.  As ominous as this sounds, Boone may have been holding back on linguistic grounds (since a guarantee is “an absolute.  I can’t say that about anyone.”) rather than out of genuine concern over a truly long-term injury to the reigning AL MVP.  That said, it is certainly disconcerting that there’s even a slim chance Judge’s toe injury might bring a premature end to his season.

Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr. undergoes season-ending surgery | The Athletic (paywall)

Houston Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. underwent season-ending surgery Tuesday to repair the flexor tendon and remove a bone spur in his throwing arm, the organization announced Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know:

• McCullers suffered the injury, which he previously described as a “small forearm strain,” in February.
• He hasn’t pitched this season and last appeared in November in Game 3 of the World Series, allowing seven runs in 4 1/3 innings.
• McCullers previously underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 and missed the entire 2019 season recovering.

Angels’ Jared Walsh opens up about neurological issues: ‘It’s been hell’ | The Athletic

It had been more than a full year of misery for Jared Walsh. A year that not only robbed him of the ability to play baseball at his highest level. But it was also a year that robbed him of sleep. It robbed him of his ability to simply move his body without tremors.

It robbed him of his depth perception. He’d walk into walls, unable to properly understand where his body was in relation to everything else.

Walsh believes that COVID-19 could have played a role in his issues. He tested positive for the virus on three separate occasions, beginning in mid-2020. He said he felt as though the virus didn’t affect him much at the time, but acknowledged these long-term impacts could have a direct correlation.

He’s been told by doctors that this will not impact his career over the long term. Walsh has been told by his physicians that they’ve seen worse cases than his that have led to recoveries. The concern clearly won’t be quashed until his symptoms go away fully.

Rays pitcher Jeffrey Springs to miss at least 2 months with arm issue

TORONTO — The Rays are waiting for additional opinions on what exactly is wrong in Jeffrey Springs’ left arm, but enough is known that the starting pitcher is expected to be sidelined for at least two months.

That timetable, reported by the Tampa Bay Times, also would indicate that the injury is more than just an inflamed and/or irritated ulnar nerve, as Springs and the team were hoping.

The precise issue, and its severity, will determine the course of treatment and ultimate timeline for Springs’ return. A torn ulnar collateral ligament, for example, could require Tommy John surgery and sideline the left-hander into the second half of the 2024 season.

Springs started the season 2-0, 0.56 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched.