Manny Machado leaves loss with left ankle sprain | ESPN

DENVER—San Diego Padres star third baseman Manny Machado left Sunday’s 8-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies after injuring his left ankle while taking a tumble at first base trying to beat out an infield grounder.

Machado’s leg appeared to turn awkwardly while he was running to first base in the top of the first inning. He struggled to put weight on the ankle as he was helped off the field. Machado was later diagnosed with an ankle sprain after X-rays came back negative.

Gammons: While outsiders wonder about the ball, MLB’s pitching coaches fret about finding enough innings

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There are many factors in play, between making velocity programs more important than learning to pitch, leading to multiple operations by the age of 22, to misguided deliveries. Fractured seasons, beginning with 2020, stretching to the HO-scaled 2021 season, and this abbreviated spring training necessitated by the lockout and the belief that playing close to 162 was more important than the physical ramifications of building up pitchers. And, remember, players can only be optioned to the minors five times in a season, which will further add to the physical stress. In mid-May, several stories were justifiably written about how the Padres would utilize the depth of their starting pitching depth; on May 22, Mike Clevinger went on the injured list.

That same day the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta was put on the IL with shoulder weakness.

Coming off the 60-game 2020 season, Matthew Baker of MLB Network Research found that in 2021, 489 pitchers went on the IL — 424 for injuries, 65 for COVID-19. As of May 20, 2022, 196 pitchers had been on the injured list, 170 to injuries, 26 to COVID. Stretch this year’s numbers to a full-season schedule and at the present rate 764 pitchers will go on the injured list, 663 for injuries, 101 for COVID. Add that by May 20 there were 102 pitchers who’d been on the injured list both seasons. It doesn’t take Dr. James Andrews to figure that there will be postseason slots determined by days on the IL. Perhaps next to ERA+, FIP, WHIP and SO/BB on Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs pitching stats line, we have DIL (Days on the Injured List).