Renowned surgeon details shocking trend in Tommy John surgeries with MLB injuries on rise

Tommy John surgeries always seem to be on the rise, and MLB pitchers are coming down the UCL and elbow injuries more frequently than ever it seems. There seems to be an epidemic in baseball, but it might start well before the big leagues. In fact, Dr. James Andrews, one of the leading surgeons on Tommy John, says it's horrible in youth leagues.

Andrews said via MLB.com:

“I started following the injury patterns and injury rates in the year 2000. Back in those days, I did about eight or nine Tommy Johns per year in high school aged and younger. The large majority of Tommy Johns were at the Major League level, then the Minor League level, then the college level and then just a handful of high school kids."

Today, Andrews noted that the situation has reversed itself:

"The largest number is youth baseball. They’ve surpassed what’s being done in the Major Leagues. That’s a terrible situation.”

The surgeon believes the newfound need for velocity and spin is not good for young pitchers. He says that they're throwing around 90 miles per hour when they are 16 and 17. The ligament they're using isn't built for that sort of thing.

Per their research, Andrews says that baseball is a developmental sport, and the Tommy John ligament that so many players have to have repaired doesn't mature until one is 26. The max high school players should reasonably throw before then is 80, otherwise it puts severe stress on the ligament.

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MLB pitcher injuries, Tommy John surgeries happening all the time

Right now, there are loads of pitchers dealing with UCL and elbow injuries in the MLB, many of whom will need or have gotten Tommy John surgery. Shohei Ohtani isn't pitching because of a UCL injury sustained last year.

Right now, Gerrit Cole is on the Injured List with elbow troubles. He won't require surgery, but it's a troublesome one. His teammate Jonathan Loaisiga is now out for the season with a UCL injury.

MLB injuries and Tommy John surgeries are up

Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber is done for the year as well. Spencer Strider of the Atlanta Braves has damage to his UCL and is looking at options right now. There are quite a few serious arm injuries going around.