The Cardinals placed right-hander Riley O’Brien on the 15-day injured list, as O’Brien is dealing with a flexor strain in his right forearm. Left-hander John King was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding transaction.
The ominous-sounding nature of the injury suggests that O’Brien could be in danger of a season-threatening surgery. Even if the strain can be managed with just rest and a normal rehab schedule rather than any kind of procedure, O’Brien is still likely looking at an absence of well beyond the 15-day minimum. The righty has made one appearance this season, tossing an inning of relief in the Cardinals’ season-opening 7-1 loss to the Dodgers.
O’Brien has now made exactly one appearance in each of his three MLB seasons, counting his previous cups of coffee with the Reds in 2021 and Mariners in 2022. An eighth-round pick for the Rays in the 2017 draft, O’Brien spent much of his minor league career as a starter before turning to full-time bullpen work in 2022. With an ugly 7.03 ERA over 39 2/3 Triple-A innings in 2022, the transition wasn’t exactly smooth for O’Brien, yet he significantly turned things around with Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate last season. The right-hander posted a 2.29 ERA, 57.1% grounder rate, and a 37.7% strikeout rate in 55 innings in Tacoma, and only a 13.6% walk rate marred that otherwise sterling performance.
The Mariners weren’t moved enough to give O’Brien any time on the active roster last year, and they ended up trading him to St. Louis in early November for just cash considerations. A minuscule 0.90 ERA over 10 Spring Training innings helped O’Brien win a spot on the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster, but it will likely be some time before he is able to return to the mound.
The era of the fragile player continues.
That era started about the same time overhand pitching became a thing.
These types of injuries are totally unacceptable!!! Out of shape. Spring Training use to be used to insure pitchers arms are built up gradually by the trainers to make sure muscle tone becomes strong. Strong before the pitchers begin throwing full speed or breaking pitches.
The Cardinals have had uncalled for injuries of this sort — Every Season over the past 8-10 years.
This Blame should land Directly on the Front Office!!!!
Yeah and they are reponsible for child poverty, climate change and gun crime. Shame on you John Mozeliak.
Also they raised the price off eggs, and they came out with both New Coke and Crystal Pepsi
You forgot their unforgivable hoarding of toilet paper.
Ranting hyperbole aside, I’m troubled by the number of injuries, especially to pitchers. I have little idea how to fix it–maybe the league could oversee safe, effective medications to speed healing?
It seems the pitchers are competing to throw more velocity, more spin, harder stuff that stretches the limits of what the human body can endure. If they don’t, they risk losing their job.
I think everyone is willing to pay the price for greater velocity and spin rates. That goes for the players and the teams.
Over 200 pitchers on the Injured List when the season started. Where is this game headed? Just crazy.
@its in the cards-
A lot of things that may help ~including eliminating the pitch clock, shifting to a six man rotation, an innings limit, mound height adjustment, alterations to the ball itself, and even legalized sticky stuff won’t happen.
They’re just bigger and stronger than ever before and as you said, taught to push themselves or risk job loss.
Here’s a PubMed study comparing MLB pitchers and Japanese pitcher’s biomechanics and injury rates if you’re interested. Long read warning but thought I’d pass it along
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6512154/#:~:text=….
Very interesting study.
How did Bob Feller throw so hard and yet have a long career? Same could be asked about Nolan Ryan. Unofficially, Ryan and Feller are credited with the two fastest pitches thrown in a game.
Perhaps instead of asking why do pitchers today get injured so often, we should be looking at how did pitchers in the past avoid injuries.
@Skeptical – Both of those pitchers got their power from their legs. They didn’t throw every pitch at those speeds. They didn’t obsess about spin rates.
17,
Wonderful rant. I especially liked the Random capitalization in the Last Sentence.
And use of exclamation marks !!!!!!!
It’s a shame O’Brien is so fragile. He has filthy stuff
I for one would like to see MLB raise the pitchers mound back to what it was prior to the 1969 season. On average at most parks 15” vs. 10” as is the rule now.
Max Muncy approves of this transaction.