Amid Cleveland Guardians starter Shane Bieber and Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider suffering elbow injuries, the Major League Baseball Players Association expressed concern over the effects of MLB’s rules changes, citing the pitch clock that went into use during the 2023 season.
“Despite unanimous player opposition and significant concerns regarding health and safety, the commissioner’s office reduced the length of the pitch clock last December, just one season removed from imposing the most significant rule change in decades,” MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said in a statement released Saturday.
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“Since then, our concerns about the health impacts of reduced recovery time have only intensified. The league’s unwillingness thus far to acknowledge or study the effects of these profound changes is an unprecedented threat to our game and its most valuable asset — the players.”
MLB issued the following statement in response to Clark:
“This statement ignores the empirical evidence and much more significant long-term trend, over multiple decades, of velocity and spin increases that are highly correlated with arm injuries. Nobody wants to see pitchers get hurt in this game, which is why MLB is currently undergoing a significant comprehensive research study into the causes of this long-term increase, interviewing prominent medical experts across baseball which to date has been consistent with an independent analysis by Johns Hopkins University that found no evidence to support that the introduction of the pitch clock has increased injuries.
“In fact, JHU found no evidence that pitchers who worked quickly in 2023 were more likely to sustain an injury than those who worked less quickly on average. JHU also found no evidence that pitchers who sped up their pace were more likely to sustain an injury than those who did not.”
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MLB instituted a pitch clock for last season that gave pitchers 15 seconds to throw with no base runners and 20 seconds when someone was on base. In December, after a season in which games were 2 hours, 40 minutes on average, the league’s competition committee approved a change to the pitch clock rule, shortening the time with runners on base to 18 seconds.
Bieber will undergo Tommy John surgery in the coming days, ending his season after two dominant starts against the Oakland A’s and Seattle Mariners. Strider reported feeling elbow soreness after his start Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Braves announced Saturday that Strider will see a specialist to determine treatment options for a damaged UCL, which often requires Tommy John surgery.
Spencer Strider today underwent an MRI that revealed damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He will be further evaluated by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, TX, at a date yet to be determined.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 6, 2024
Eury Pérez, a 20-year-old starter for the Miami Marlins, learned early this week that he would also have to undergo Tommy John surgery.
While serious pitching injuries — particularly elbow injuries — are seemingly on the rise, many have pointed to an increase in velocity throughout the majors as the root cause.
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“Well, they’re throwing harder than ever and spinning the ball more than ever,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said on Saturday. “I don’t know. I hate it for everybody concerned. That’s the biggest thing we have in our game, man, is the pitching.”
The competition committee’s makeup consists of six owners, four players and one umpire. After December’s pitch-clock adjustment, Clark noted that the players were against that change.
“This afternoon, player representatives voted against the 2024 rule changes proposed by the commissioner’s office,” read Clark’s statement. “As they made clear in the competition committee, players strongly feel that, following last season’s profound changes to the fundamental rules of the game, immediate additional changes are unnecessary and offer no meaningful benefits to fans, players, or the competition on the field.
“This season should be used to gather additional data and fully examine the health, safety, and injury impacts of the reduced recovery time; that is where the focus should be.”
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Braves pitcher Spencer Strider has UCL damage in elbow, will see specialist
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MLB rule changes for 2024 include shorter pitch clock
(Photo of Spencer Strider: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)