The injury bug has bitten the Nationals hard.
At this writing, seven players are on the 10-day injured list, and two more players left Monday night’s game at Milwaukee: Catcher Yan Gomes left after being hit by a pitch, and outfielder Andrew Stevenson was removed after developing back spasms in the fourth inning.
That came just two days after first baseman Matt Adams injured his shoulder while diving to tag the base ahead of a runner, and center fielder Michael A. Taylor injured his wrist while diving for a ball.
Even the team’s airplane was out of commission for a while as the Nats began the second leg of a three-city, 10-day road trip.
The rash of injuries prompted one member of the D.C. Baseball History: Yesterday and Today Facebook group to ask if there were some precedent in the days of the original Washington Senators (before-1961) or expansion Senators (1961-1971). In reply, many other members said they couldn’t remember anything similar in the old days.
Certainly, injuries have always been a part of the game. But are players more easily injured today than they were in earlier times?
At least one researcher has actually made a compelling argument that today’s players are bigger, stronger, and faster than the superstars of yesteryear.
If that’s the case, why are so many players missing games due to injury?
The answer lies in the evolution over the years of rules for how major league teams can handle injured players.
According to “Collateral Damage: The Disabled List: A History” published on Baseball Prospectus, the National League created the first official disabled list on July 12, 1915. Rules at the time allowed players to be removed from a team’s 21-man active roster for 10 days to recover from injuries. They were also allowed to remain with the team as “coachers” while recovering.
That may seem similar to the 10-day injury list in use today by the major leagues, but changes in the number of players who could be listed at the same time are the key to why so many players are listed today.
There are apparently few examples of players who were listed as injured under the 1915 rule, and the rule lasted just two years. Starting in 1917, until World War II, injured players were sent home and expected to return when healthy. Under those conditions, teams simply removed players from their rosters and didn’t have to pay them for the time they missed. The “reserve clause,” which would be overturned in 1973 to allow free agency, meant that the players had no choice but to take the unpaid leave and try to win their jobs back.
In 1941, the major leagues instituted a 60-day disabled list, but no one could be listed after Aug. 1. The minimum number of days a player could spend on the list decreased to 30 in 1950, but the ramifications were similar. The rules discouraged players from being listed unless the injury was serious enough to keep them out of action for a month or two.
In addition, until 1990, teams could have only two players on their shortest-term disabled list at the same time, and only one could be a pitcher. So from the 1950s through the 1980s, players who had muscle strains, sprains, or arm injuries that were un-diagnosable at the time had two choices: They could play through the injury, probably not as well as they could play normally, or they could sit on the bench while another member of the team got to see every day action and possibly win the job outright.
Teams instituted a 15-day disabled list in 1966 and dropped the 10-day list in 1984, but until 1990, when the league instituted the system that most fans today are familiar with, there were severe limits on the number of players who could be listed as injured.
That’s why fans who can remember the original Senators or the expansion Senators don’t remember a lot of players being listed as injured. Few players were actually allowed to miss games due to injury. They had to play hurt or lose a starting job to someone who was often younger and healthier.
The name of the list was changed prior to this season from the disabled list to the injured list. The move was hailed by advocates for inclusiveness, who argued that the old name perpetuated misconceptions that people with disabilities are injured and can’t participate in sports.
The limits on who can be listed now are based on their 40-man rosters.
In the current season, teams have a seven-day concussion list and a 10-day injury list. Players on those lists can be removed from the 25-man active roster but stay on the 40-man roster. There is also a 60-day injured list, which allows a player to be removed from the 40-man roster.
Next season, the minimum disabled list stay will return to 15 days because of concerns that some teams were manipulating the 10-day IL to rest pitchers who aren’t actually injured.
In the current era of baseball, even role players are paid millions per season. Teams want to protect that investment, so they are more likely to rest a player who is apparently injured in hopes that he can play better when healthy.
In addition, tools like MRIs and surgical scopes and techniques like ligament or tendon replacement allow for faster, more accurate diagnosis of injury and treatment options that can extend careers.
It’s frustrating to watch teams like the Nats fall short of expectations because of injuries. But the players and their families benefit from rules, tools and techniques that allow them to get proper treatment for their injuries, have more productive careers and healthier lives after retirement.
