Tyler Glasnow Thinks MLB's Foreign Substance Crackdown Led to His Injury
Tyler Glasnow partially-tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow this week, and on Tuesday he spoke to reporters about it. The 27-year-old fully believes MLB's crackdown on pitchers using foreign substances contributed to his injury.
Glasnow claimed he regularly used the combination of sunscreen and rosin to improve grip -- something many pitchers have been using. After MLB announced its crackdown on "sticky stuff," Glasnow ceased using it. He immediately noticed a difference, as he struggled to grip the ball and was far more sore after his starts.
The Tampa Bay Rays ace claimed he had issues gripping the ball during his start Monday night, which he wound up leaving with elbow inflammation. An MRI revealed a partial tear of his UCL, which could wind up leading to Tommy John surgery.
Here's what he had to say:
Tyler Glasnow sounds off on MLB's foreign substance crackdown and how it may have led to injury ? pic.twitter.com/47rcTnpk0l
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) June 15, 2021
Glasnow's main point here is that MLB should have announced the crackdown in the offseason to give pitchers a chance to adjust to enforcement. Pitches now have to change what they have to do now.
Apparently, a lot of people around baseball agree with him:
Tyler Glasnow is extremely bright and chooses his words very carefully. The points he brought up today are shared by a lot of people across baseball -- and not just players. Managers, executives, others. The anger is trained on penalizing Spider Tack and sunscreen the same. https://t.co/PRJecxy8nZ
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 15, 2021
Frankly, he makes some great points. Yes, most pitchers are using a foreign substance and are therefore cheating. But many guys have done it their whole careers because MLB refused to crack down on it.
I talked to someone in baseball this week who was adamant that hitters don't seem to care about the sunscreen and rosin combination. Many hitters actually want pitchers to have some more grip on the ball so they know they won't get hit in the head by a mid-90s fastball. Some have long suggested allowing pitchers to use pine tar and putting a rag on the pitching mound next to the rosin bag.
This needs to be a priority for the players union to figure out. Both hitters and pitchers need to be on the same page when it comes to the rules, but it's fairly clear that pitchers don't feel they have enough grip on the ball.
Glasnow's explanation makes a ton of sense, while he also acknowledged he didn't blame MLB for his injury. He just thinks the crackdown contributed to it.