Disabled List Makes It Three Leagues in Majors

Before the 1992 baseball season was a week old, the St. Louis Cardinals had eight players on the disabled list. St. Louis was expected to contend for the National League East title but barely kept enough players healthy for Manager Joe Torre to fill out a lineup.

Far busier than Torre was Gene Gieselmann, who is in his 22nd season as Cardinals trainer. When he had free time from treating the Cardinals’ assorted injuries, Gieselmann noticed other trainers start to put in for overtime, too.

“We’re getting to the point where baseball has three leagues,” Gieselmann said, “the AL, the NL and the DL.”

That’s a bit of an overstatement but only a bit. By the end of April, 117 major leaguers had spent time this season on the DL -- 60 in the AL (that’s the American League) and 57 in the NL (the National League). Entering May last season, there were 93 players on the DL. This season began with 69 players disabled, nine more than at the start of the ’91 season. One week into the season, the DL had swelled to 83. A decade ago, there were 35 on the DL after the first week.

If there were standings in the DL (which is becoming known as the Disabled League), the Philadelphia Phillies would be in first place. They have had nine players on the DL this season. The Athletics and Rangers have matched the Cardinals with eight apiece.

Quite a team could be put together of the players who are on the disabled list. Texas Rangers righthander Nolan Ryan was activated Thursday, ending the Hall of Fame-bound battery on the DL: Ryan and catcher Carlton Fisk (Chicago White Sox). You can still have your pick of right-handers Bob Welch (Oakland Athletics), who was activated Saturday for a start against the Detroit Tigers, or Jose Rijo (Cincinnati Reds). Fisk (44) is too old? Take the Cleveland Indians’ Joel Skinner, 31.

Go around the horn in the infield with Andres Galarraga (Cardinals) or Hal Morris (Reds) at first, Jeff Treadway (Atlanta Braves) or Pat Kelly (New York Yankees) at second, Ken Caminiti (Houston Astros) or Mike Pagliarulo (Minnesota Twins) -- he’s gone on the DL twice -- at third, and there is no shortage of shortstops from which to choose -- Barry Larkin (Reds), Ozzie Guillen (White Sox), Walt Weiss (Athletics), Mike Gallego (New York Yankees), Kevin Elster (New York Mets), Omar Vizquel (Seattle Mariners), Bill Spiers (Milwaukee Brewers) and David Howard (Kansas City Royals).

All-Star outfielders at your disposal: Danny Tartabull (Yankees), Dale Murphy (Phillies), Vince Coleman (Mets) -- he, like Pagliarulo, is spending his second term on the DL, Felix Jose (Cardinals) and Derek Bell (Toronto Blue Jays). Your Rotisserie league team should be this good.

The Yankees have the most expensive DL with Tartabull, Gallego, Kelly and right-handed pitcher Mike Witt (recuperating from elbow transplant surgery). Their earnings this season total $10,314,167. The Yankees’ DL alone has a higher payroll than the entire Cleveland Indians roster ($8,607,500).

The DL includes such players as Red Sox right-hander Jeff Gray (abnormality in blood vessel in brain), White Sox outfielder Bo Jackson (who had hip replacement surgery) and Braves first baseman Nick Esasky (vertigo), whose careers may be over. Not on the DL is California Angels right-hander Matt Keough, who had brain surgery after being struck by a foul ball in a spring training game. That was a freak accident, as was the auto accident that forced Red Sox first baseman Carlos Quintana on the DL, and the conditions of Gray, Jackson and Esasky are not related to baseball.

Observers owe some of the injuries to pitchers working the inside part of the plate more. Morris, Bell and Braves outfielder Tommy Gregg are out because they were hit by pitches, the same injury that knocked out the Phillies’ Lenny Dykstra opening day.

Otherwise, what gives? If ballplayers are bigger, stronger, swifter and better conditioned than ever, how come the DL is crowded?

One longtime trainer says the increased size of players naturally leads to more injuries and that improved diagnostic methods uncover more ailments.

“Years ago, pitchers threw with torn rotator cuffs and didn’t know it,” said one trainer, who requested anonymity. “Players do more weightlifting to build themselves up, but it makes them more vulnerable to strains and pulls. Baseball is a game that takes flexibility. The weather this time of year up North is a factor, too. Muscles tighten up in the cold.”

“The fact players are bigger is an injury risk factor,” Yankees general manager Gene Michael said. “When an Ozzie Guillen collides with a tank like (outfielder) Tim Raines, something’s got to give. You see all those shortstops hurt, and yet (Baltimore Orioles shortstop) Cal Ripken, one of the best in the game, goes on every day (1,597 consecutive games). It’s hard to figure.”

Michael, a former shortstop, was never on the DL. “I played pro ball for 17 years without a major injury,” he said. “Then last year, I hurt my knee in a pickup basketball game and needed an operation.”

Yankees batting coach Frank Howard spent parts of 16 seasons in the majors and not once was disabled. “When I was done here, I signed to play in Japan and in my first game I blew out my knee,” Howard recalled. “Career over.”

What Michael and Howard have in common, other than memories, is they played in an era when clubs didn’t have as much money invested in players. Howard was among the highest-paid players in the game in the early 1970s, and his biggest paycheck was $125,000, only $16,000 more than today’s minimum wage.

“When you have as much money tied up in players as we do now, you don’t take chances,” Michael said. “Any sign of injury, and you’re more careful than ever before. We have a $5 million-a-year investment in Danny Tartabull. You have to protect your interests.”