The injury “epidemic” may have just turned into a “pandemic” in the past 48 hours. This season has seen an almost unprecedented number of pitchers falling to injuries and Tommy John surgeries. Now former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber has joined the list. The ace is set to undergo an elbow reconstruction surgery – effectively missing 2024 and much of 2025. This is nothing short of devastating for the ace who is set to enter free agency next year. Perhaps that’s why reports indicate that he isn’t taking too well to this news.

However, the Cleveland Guardians’ ace isn’t the only one to have fallen to this. Last season’s Cy Young runner-up Spencer Strider too has a damaged UCL and could be staring at elbow surgery. Similarly, the New York Yankees’ Jonathan Loaisiga has announced that he’ll be undergoing surgery to fix his torn UCL. With so many pitchers falling to such injuries executives have made multiple calls to the league to change its course before it’s too late.

USAToday reported that Bieber’s “devastated” by the news. Guardians’ president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti shared that Bieber “feels as though he is letting a lot of people down.”  The ace has been struggling with arm and shoulder injuries since his Cy Young-winning season in 2020. What makes it tougher for the ace is that he had started the season in an electrifying form.

Bieber has pitched 12 shut-out innings with a league-leading 20 strikeouts. Even more astounding was the fact that the ace increased his velocity to its highest level in two years at 93.7 mph.  However, all of that has come in vain for him. This has raised important questions regarding pitchers’ health in the league.

The past few years have seen an unprecedented increase in pitching injuries. While pitch clocks are getting the most blame, it may not be the only thing that has led the sport to this juncture.

Is Shane Bieber’s injury another cautionary tale for MLB?

Per USAToday, 260 major-league and minor-league pitchers had elbow surgeries in 2021. That number was an earth-shattering 400% increase from 10 years ago. Similarly, pitchers requiring second Tommy John or other elbow surgeries have doubled. Never has the league seen such a huge number of pitchers going under the knife so frequently.

Tony Clark, the director of MLBPA, has blamed pitch clock for injuries. But then there were more injuries two years ago before the pitch clock’s introduction. MLB is currently undergoing comprehensive research to understand why injuries have increased. A few have also blamed modern baseball for overwhelming young pitchers for constantly chasing power and throwing all year round. 

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Whatever the case the situation is certainly becoming serious. The pitchers are losing their longevity while the teams are also suffering financially (they spent $1.147 billion in 2023 on salaries for injured players and their replacements). Perhaps a long-term solution needs to be met before the damage becomes too big to handle.

A Closer Look at MLB Pitchers’ Comeback Tales From Dreaded Tommy John