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    The Twins' Injury Issues Aren't Just a Twins Problem. Does MLB Have a Broader Concern to Address?

    Nate Palmer

    By Nate Palmer

    Injuries are on the rise in Major League Baseball, and the Twins are one unhappy face of the problem. What is happening, and what can be done? 

    Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

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    The Minnesota Twins front office has taken a lot of heat for the lack of moves made at the trade deadline. It's fair to levy that criticism, because since they opted not to deepen their depth, they've been systematically depleted by injuries. On the other hand, we shouldn't overlook the talent they have accumulated: The front office initially put together a promising roster for the current season. The roster has simply been one of the most injured in baseball. 

    Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa grab the headlines when it comes to injured Twins, but there have been a lot of other important players who have spent or are spending time on the injured list. As much as Buxton's and Correa's absences were felt over the last month and change, having Joe Ryan and Brock Stewart around would have been even bigger difference-makers. According to Baseball Prospectus, the Twins currently rank near the top of the league in WARP lost to injuries, only trailing the Dodgers, Braves, Red Sox, Astros, Giants, and Rangers. 

    image.png.694776a6b4bbeaf839bc1fbe2f222d42.png

    But this isn't just a local story--not by a long shot. There is a disturbing league-wide trend of rising elbow, shoulder, hip, and back injury rates; all of those areas have resulted in more IL stints throughout MLB this season than in any of the previous four full campaigns. The baseball world has been watching this trend (especially pitcher arm injuries) for many years now, but seeing that it has hit another peak shows that many answers still need to be found. 

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    Here is a quick rundown of currently injured Twins, and their maladies: Alex Kirilloff (back discomfort), Max Kepler (patellar tendinitis), Joe Ryan (strained shoulder), Daniel Duarte (elbow-UCL), Brock Stewart (shoulder), and Justin Topa (patellar tendinitis). Each of those players fits into one of the categories above. Only Chris Paddack (strained forearm) and Anthony DeSclafani (flexor tendon) don't fit into any of those rising categories, and really, both of those are elbow injuries by other names. 

    Coming off of a stretch (and a season, for that matter) of bad losses due to the bullpen struggles, it is easy to wonder: What if Stewart had been healthy, and had any semblance of the 2023 success that made him so integral to their relief corps last fall? Stewart helping lock down the back end of the Twins playoff bullpen? Duarte, who briefly looked brilliant before requiring season-ending surgery in the early going, as a surprising complementary setup option?

    Topa hasn’t been able to grace the mound for the Twins after being acquired from the Mariners. His 2023 2.61 ERA would be a breath of fresh air, as the Twins have tried shuffling arms in and out of the bullpen for any sense of competency. DeSclafani (early) and Ryan (late) going down thinned the rotation and put more pressure on the young arms we now see fighting for the finish line.

    While there was a path for the Twins to do something to help midseason, a bigger problem looms for Major League Baseball—a problem that has greatly affected the Twins this season. Can baseball continue to let players max out at this velocity, foot speed, and bat speed? Is it time to introduce some more parameters or rule changes that will help force players to play at a different exertion level? Maybe that's too extreme, but then, does the league as a whole need to reconsider its best practices for injury prevention and management? Do teams need to prescribe different training methods?

    Major League Baseball has reportedly considered a rule that would push starters to pitch six innings, barring a few exceptions. This rule change could cause starters to strike a different balance between stamina and high effort than they currently do. Potentially, that could be part of the answer to the injury problem among starting pitchers. The problem is that the league's injury issues seem to have broken free of the pitching sphere.  

    We see plenty of instances of injuries among relievers, who already have their own version of this rule. So what about them? And what about hitters dealing with more hip, knee, and back trouble? That is a question facing the Twins, but it can't all be laid at their feet; the problem is league-wide. The Twins especially can’t afford to see this many key players hit the IL without investigating if there is a way to prevent them. 

    The Twins put together a strong roster. Now, it is time to find a way to keep that talent in the field. They have to do that better, but so does the league as a whole.

    Nate Palmer, I write so I can talk baseball with other fans.
    Follow Nate Palmer on Twitter: palmern2twins

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    DJL44

    DJL44 16,602

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    30 minutes ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

    I think we are near the top of the velocity range for pitchers.  Batters will ultimately adjust and better learn how to hit these pitches. 

    I think we already have selected for elite hand-eye-coordination and reaction time among hitters. Visual-motor response time isn't going to get any faster. 

    DocBauer

    DocBauer 22,263

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    A few different thoughts here.

    1] Our very own TD physical therapy expert Lucas Seehafer had some interesting comments a few months ago concerning soft tissue injuries. The one that stuck out to me was discussing players recovering from serious injuries such as knee surgery. And this could apply to Lewis and Buxton both as an example. It can take a year or so for the rest of the body to fully "recover" from the injury as it's been compensating through surgery recovery and compensating as a result. Of course, I'm paraphrasing somewhat.

    In other words, it's possible some of the soft tissue injuries Lewis has been dealing with, MAYBE the hip issue of Buxton, might somewhat take care of themselves and lessen somewhat going forward now that they will be over a year plus recovered from their knee surgeries.

    2] The max effort velocity and muscle build up for power hitting isn't going anywhere, even if the tactics of speed and stolen bases is back up again. And I don't see any changes taking place in college or HS, or even lower in the amounts of games played. 

    Personally, I really liked the 28 man MLB roster for the covid year of 2020. While MLB has callups from AAA when someone is hurt, most teams don't have the luxury of a AAA club across town. That's negated when the Twins are on the road, of course. HOWEVER you break down the ML roster, you almost always have 13 pitchers now and 13 position players. With 9 guys in the lineup, the player bench is only 4 players, 1 of them a catcher. That leaves only 3 position players available on any given day. I'd like to see the roster at 28 in order to provide a little more flexibility and rest for those guys who might just really need a day or two to get back vs playing short handed. I think it might help some with injury control and recovery, and help with the on the field product. 

    3] I know this will be controversial, especially because of the game being "cheated" in the past from rampant performance enhancing drugs, but IMO, in ALL SPORTS, I would be in favor of growth hormone or steroids being used during rehabilitation for serious injuries. We're talking grown men, professionals, earning massive amounts of $ in some cases, and once seriously injured, I'd be OK with limited usage of doctor prescribed and controlled drugs of this nature in order to help with healing. NOT improvement or enhancement of physical abilities, but as part of rehabilitation in order to heal fully.

    4] I have no doubt that ML training staffs work really hard to make sure players are healthy, fit, warmed up and ready to go. And yet the injuries are on the rise. If you aren't going to be able to change the structure of the game, then you can try to at least affect and mitigate the rehab of players, and the recovery of minor injuries, and keep the product on the field.

    Just a collection of thoughts I have.

    DJL44

    DJL44 16,602

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    24 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

    3] I know this will be controversial, especially because of the game being "cheated" in the past from rampant performance enhancing drugs, but IMO, in ALL SPORTS, I would be in favor of growth hormone or steroids being used during rehabilitation for serious injuries. We're talking grown men, professionals, earning massive amounts of $ in some cases, and once seriously injured, I'd be OK with limited usage of doctor prescribed and controlled drugs of this nature in order to help with healing. NOT improvement or enhancement of physical abilities, but as part of rehabilitation in order to heal fully.

    Buxton's cortisone shot and Correa's plasma rich platelet injection fit that description.

    DocBauer

    DocBauer 22,263

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    7 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

    Buxton's cortisone shot and Correa's plasma rich platelet injection fit that description.

    They do. And medical science keeps advancing, such as the relatively new braces for elbows in TJ surgeries. I'm just saying that for anyone, including athletes who do this for a living, I'm in favor of other methods that might have a black mark against them, that might not be "evil" in the proper context.

    For instance, I'd rather see athletes...and the public at large...be able to use something like marijuana or TCH supplements for pain vs opiods for pain. And on a limited basis, doctor controlled and monitored, I'm in favor of other options to promote actual rehab and HEALING. NOT for a competitive advantage, but for returned health.

    purplesoldier4u

    purplesoldier4u 186

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    2 hours ago, USAFChief said:

    In the specific case of Hrbek, he played fewer than 140 games once in his first 9 full seasons.

    He was pretty durable.  

    For a big as he was, he did pretty good. Sadly, had he taken better care of himself, he would have had a near HoF career ... not that those things mattered to him.

    Road trip

    Road trip 1,564

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    4 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

    Only 67 players as of today has played 140 games, and they aren't the ones getting hurt, so I don't see how that addresses the injury issue.

    I think one of the issues is that young kids are required to stress their bodies at a young age (6th, 7th and 8th grade), doesn't matter the sport unless you play at a small high school you really don't have much of a chance of playing varsity high school sports unless you are adding a bunch of weight from muscle. My son plays football at a 5A school and if you can't bench 200 plus pounds and much more if you play linebacker or linemen you have no shot of playing. It is very similar for the baseball players if you aren't in the gym getting stronger you get left behind.

    Watch any MN state tournament and see how big and strong these kids are.

    I do believe this is a big part of the problem.  Young bodies are being built up through strength training before they are ready.

    Players from the 1980s had never lifted weights in their youth (or, at least, not around where I lived).  Players from the 1990s *might* have done some limited weight training in their youth, but probably not much.  Things have really changed for young athletes since this era.  I don't think it is a coincidence that near universal weight training for young athletes coincides with the increased injury rates we have seen at MLB in the past two decades.

    It is a problem for MLB, even if a fix is elusive.  MLB is fast becoming like the NFL... at the end of the year, the teams that have suffered fewer injuries have a big advantage.

    purplesoldier4u

    purplesoldier4u 186

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

    I think we already have selected for elite hand-eye-coordination and reaction time among hitters. Visual-motor response time isn't going to get any faster. 

    I'm not sure that isn't the a major difference in elite athletes.

     

    Eris

    Eris 1,629

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    If they want to really fix the injury issues they will need to address it at youth sports. Today’s MLB players likely focused on playing baseball at least 9 months of the year. More in some regions. This is a very significant change from 40 years ago when most high school athletes played 3 sports. 
     

    I live in NJ and player doesn’t make the high school baseball team if he doesn’t play club ball and they don’t pitch without have a personal pitching coach before 9th grade. There is a whole industry built around this for most high school sports with the possible exception of bowling. 

    Twins63

    Twins63 48

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Think of any profession that has repetitive movements...there will always be injuries. Now throw in year round specialized sport training...like it was mentioned earlier you need to pick your sport early or be left behind. We know the treatment for the injuries, however, treating before injury might be the creative key to prevention. Whatever it takes-the "training" needs to incorporate just as much injury prevention work as sporting work....

    Doctor Wu

    Doctor Wu 4,337

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    21 hours ago, Karbo said:

    I wonder if the players were playing thru more injuries in the previous century. I know they are getting bigger and stronger today, but that may be part of the problem. Pushing the human body past it's limitations leading to more injuries?

    I think there could be some merit in your theory. I think this era's emphasis on bulking up and working in the weight room may be counterproductive for some (but not all) players. 

    bean5302

    bean5302 9,277

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    On 9/18/2024 at 11:15 AM, RpR said:

    The season was 154 games for a long time; 140 is WAY too short.

    But then, the hockey season is starting NOW and will run till May-June?

    Baseball need more exposure, not less.

    I really like a good burger. I don't want to eat burgers 3 meals a day 365 days a year. For a lot of people, Baseball is tuna casserole right now. Eating more of it won't make people like it more.



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