Under The Knife 5/29/25
Oblique Outbreak sounds like a Miles Davis tune
It’s not a coincidence. The oblique outbreak isn’t some unlucky glitch in the injury matrix. It’s the logical result of a sport chasing torque like never before. You want 95 off the mound and 30 bombs at the plate? You’re asking for rotational violence and the obliques are the first to scream. All gas, no brakes usually doesn’t end well, even if you like how it looks on the t-shirt.
We’ve seen this before. In the late 2000s, core injuries started creeping into the IL reports, but they were often labeled as “abdominal strains” or “intercostals.” It’s not as if they didn’t exist before. I chased it through the old NY Times archives and found one where Mickey Mantle had a “stitch in his side.” The terminology got better, but the prevention never caught up. Now it’s 2025 and guys are tearing obliques like paper. Why? High effort, poor training, worse recovery, and a game that rewards velocity over availability.
Pitchers are a mess, often by their training. Watch any hard thrower today and you’ll see extreme hip-shoulder separation, a violent unwind, and minimal trunk deceleration. The arm isn’t the only thing moving fast. The torso twists like a coiled spring, and if the decelerators, especially the external obliques, aren’t strong and conditioned to absorb that force, they’ll fail. I remember a catcher - I had to look it up, it was Danny Jansen - with a right oblique strain on a throw from behind the plate. Same mechanism, same issue. It’s not a fluke. It’s a trend.
Hitters aren’t off the hook either. The launch-angle revolution bred a generation of max-effort swingers. Everyone wants to be Schwarber or Judge, turning on a 97 mph fastball with every ounce of their core. The problem is, they’re often building strength concentrically, meaning they train to rotate explosively, not to stop or stabilize that rotation. That’s like putting a Ferrari engine in a golf cart and hitting the autobahn. Max Muncy’s repeated oblique strains? Look at his swing. Tremendous force generation, high-effort rotation, and a history of midsection tweaks.
Teams say they care. They have performance staffs, core routines, and great ATs. But when you talk to players, you hear about overhand med-ball slams and rotational cable work at full speed. You rarely hear about eccentric control. You almost never hear about positional isometrics or deep-trunk breathing drills. You certainly don’t hear about the guy who pulled out of a BP session early because his obliques were too sore from yesterday’s lift. That guy gets labeled soft.
What needs to change? For starters, rotational training has to evolve. Programs should include anti-rotation and deceleration work - things like controlled med-ball catches, resisted trunk holds, and even old-school exercises like wood chops done slowly with tempo. More Prague School, less CrossFit. More breathing, less grunting.
Recovery also needs to be treated like a skill. You can’t grind through fatigue and expect soft tissue to hold. Limit swing volume, monitor throwing loads, and give the core time to recover, especially in-season. Players need midweek maintenance. Not a punishment workout, but a twenty-minute session of mobility, activation, and stabilization. We’ve seen guys with back injuries start taking this seriously and going on to have years of production. Oblique guys should get religion too.
The oblique isn’t an accessory. It’s the fuse. Baseball’s old school ways keep lighting the match. Until that changes, expect more MRI bills and fewer games played.
On to the injuries:
RONEL BLANCO, SP HOU (sprained elbow)
The official word came out Wednesday afternoon: Ronel Blanco was having elbow surgery and his 2025 is done. The Astros might not be far behind. Blanco’s surgery remains a bit clouded. With the team saying they expected him back in 2026, there’s not much clarity though it sounds as if he’s having an InternalBrace procedure.
Blanco’s rapid ascent, with his dominant no-hitter early last season, was one of those feel-good stories about a guy getting a chance after being a “late” signee at age-22 and spending years in the minors. He didn’t immediately establish himself, nor did he have the “suddenly found velocity” or “tweaked a grip and now it moves” story we normally get. Something clicked and Blanco became the pitcher Houston needed. He was one of the anchors again this season, with an 11 K game that showed he wasn’t a fluke, at least until the elbow demon came for him.
For Blanco, the path is well worn and the rehab room in Houston expanding again. There’s no reason to think he won’t return, but the Astros have jettisoned pitchers in similar situations and Luis Garcia’s long, problematic rehab has to be noted. On the plus side, Spencer Arrighetti is throwing again and could help the beleaguered rotation sometime in late June.
JUSTIN VERLANDER, SP SFG (strained pectoral)
How far have we come in the last few years? A source tells me that Justin Verlander’s bullpen session that went about 40 pitches had at least two sources of biomechanical data, plus TrackMan, plus one other newer system that I know the Giants are using. All this adds into the old style “How you feeling, Justin?” The Giants know that Verlander’s pectoral issue — strain or tendinitis is being debated a bit, though they’ve publicly said strain — led to him losing his release point and being uncharacteristically wild in his last outing.
That’s exactly what they were looking for this time out. Could he not only make it through the session, but do so in a way that shows he’s back to where he should be. While the Giants don’t have historical data on Verlander, they do have access to MLB’s systems so they have it as far back as anyone and yes, teams can access other teams and yes, they’re using other systems to check other team’s pitchers as well as their own. Biomechanical scouting? Sorta.
Verlander is said to have been positive throughout, with the next step likely being a return to the rotation rather than a trip to San Jose or similar. He’s not eligible until next week, so there’s time for a couple more outings and to watch how he’s able to work, recover, and more. I’m not saying all this data is going to make Verlander or any other pitcher healthier, but we are going to have a lot more to work with on the journeys between. What we collect now may save the next generation.
This is normally where the paywall is, but today, you get to see what’s down there. If you think it’s worth something, supporting my work allows it to continue. I have my price at the lowest Substack allows. I don’t do sales, or beg. I try to ask politely and show my worth.
BRYCE HARPER, 1B PHI (bruised elbow)
#PaddedElbow? Elbow guards do exist and I’m a bit surprised Bryce Harper is out there facing someone like Spencer Strider without one. Watching the ball smash into his elbow, right where the funny bone is, does not look like fun and while getting hit with a pad doesn’t qualify as fun either, it’s not quite as bad and players who get hit like that usually shake it off, jog to first, and stay in the game.
X-rays were negative and Harper should be back quickly, depending on bruising and feel. With the Phillies rotation both good and deep, the offense is the problem so losing Harper for even a game or two could make a difference when the Phillies get to the end of September and start wondering where they could have made up a game or two. For all the millions of dollars and man-hours, it could come down to an arm guard that costs about $50 for the good ones.
BRYCE MILLER, SP SEA (inflamed elbow)
Bryce Miller could be back as soon as this weekend. After a near-minimum stay on the IL, his elbow is back to normal - or closer, at least - and made it through a bullpen session with good stuff and showed no ill effects afterwards. That’s the key, as Miller said he’d been dealing with this all spring, but it just got away from them. If it’s this easy to get back, it’s a good sign.
The M’s haven’t locked in the return. Despite the session - which was a two inning up-down, but not quite a “sim game” (and yes, they all blur) - the question is whether Miller needs to build more. That shouldn’t be a question. The M’s aren’t dumb. They know what ACWR is and they know Miller’s levels better than anyone, so this might be less about Miller and more about the plan for him to short-start and backfilling the rest of the game. They can’t wait until day-of, but a Saturday blowout for Luis Castillo would throw off the plan.
Sources are universally positive on Miller’s situation now, so I have some confidence that he’ll be able to return and get right back to being a key part of the M’s rotation. This is an exceedingly winnable division, especially if Seattle can keep getting their rotation healthier while Houston’s is falling apart. This division could well come down to health, as so many do.
SLADE CECCONI, SP CLE (strained groin)
Slade Cecconi could be accused of dodging the Dodgers. His groin pushed him from a planned Wednesday start, but after some treatment, he’ll go this weekend across town against the Angels. A source tells me that Cecconi isn’t completely out of the woods and they’ll likely have someone shadowing him in case the mild strain acts up or changes his mechanics.
For Cecconi, this is a bit of a red flag. He missed the start of the season with an oblique strain and now another muscle issue, albeit not a pitching arm injury, is altering how the Guardians are deploying their pitching and trying to chase down a streaking Tigers squad. Cecconi’s always had an electric arm, but he’s never gone deep into a season, though so few get pushed in the minors these days that it’s hard to really knock him for that.
With Shane Bieber starting his rehab this weekend, the back of the rotation is on notice. Bieber’s going to take one of those rotation slots inside of a month and John Means isn’t far behind him. The loss of Ben Lively becomes the functional replacement with a bit of a gap, but this isn’t the time for someone to not pitch well, or to have another injury woe. There’s more than a few teams scouting with the hopes that Cleveland puts one of those arms on the market if they fall out of the race.
MATT VIERLING, OF DET (strained cuff)
WENCEEL PEREZ, OF DET (strained back)
Speaking of those hot Tigers, part of the story is the depth. Despite having a couple starters on the shelf at the start of the season, like Matt Vierling, their replacements have more than held their own. Joe Sheehan had a nice piece on how those secondary pieces have been, in the short term, better than the injured players. That can happen - you probably know the Juan Pierre story, where he had the hottest two weeks of his career after Manny Ramirez got suspended.
The one thing I always come back to on those is that teams aren’t stupid and even without the analytics and tools, teams and coaches have always been good about assessing talent. The guy who is second and third on the depth chart isn’t first for a reason. Someone’s better than him.
For Vierling, it’s his rotator cuff again and he’s not able to throw or swing without pain. While it’s normally thought of as a throwing issue, the baseball swing requires shoulder involvement on both sides and all phases of the swing. After missing the first six weeks of the season, Vierling only lasted a week, so there’s concern that he may need more aggressive treatment.
Wenceel Perez is another of those injured Tigers, making his debut in center field after missing the first two months with a back strain. The Tigers shifted Javier Baez over to third after his hot start and solid play in center as AJ Hinch shuffles his flexible roster once again to accommodate what they expected to be a key piece of this outfield. With Parker Meadows on his rehab assignment, the Tigers had hoped they’d have all their pieces back, but they’ll be at least one down with Vierling’s issue.
Quick Cuts:
Seth Lugo (finger) is expected to be activated to start on Friday for the Royals … Corey Seager was activated and played Wednesday. Hopefully the hamstring has healed up better this time around … Aaron Nola is still having some issues with his ankle, plus it’s been decided he’ll need a rehab start. The Phillies rotation gives the team some ability to be patient, plus Andrew Painter is coming fast … Cole Ragans (groin) threw a side session and looks ready to return on Sunday. The Royals haven’t made that official yet … Christian Walker, #paddedglove … Steven Kwan left Wednesday’s game with “wrist inflammation.” I’m watching this one … Byron Buxton is expected to come off the Concussion IL and play this weekend … Zack Gelof (wrist/ribs) has started up baseball activities again after two quirky injuries. Do the A’s still get called up since they play in a minor league park? Regardless, Gelof is still a ways off, but it’s progress … A source tells me Cade Cavalli looked really good in his last minor league start and could be up to help the Nats rotation in a couple weeks … Naturally, no oblique injuries today after I rant about them.