Glasnow: Foreign-substance crackdown contributed to injury

Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler Glasnow says MLB crackdown contributed to arm injury

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 6/15/21

Tyler Glasnow believes MLB’s crackdown on the use of foreign substances contributed to his arm injury.

Glasnow was removed from his start on Monday after four innings due to an arm injury. On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays said Glasnow was out indefinitely with a torn UCL.

When speaking with the media Tuesday, Glasnow criticized MLB for cracking down on foreign substances during the season. He said he was using sunscreen and then had to scrap it midseason.

“I just threw 80 something innings and you just told me I can’t use anything. I have to change everything,” Glasnow said of MLB’s change.

The 27-year-old pitcher believes MLB’s crackdown, which led him to make adjustments, contributed to his injury.

“I truly believe 100 percent that’s why I got hurt. I’m frustrated MLB doesn’t understand. You can’t just tell us to use nothing. It’s crazy.”

Glasnow feels there is a difference between sunscreen, which he was using for a grip, and the extreme substances like Spider Tack, which players have gained advantages through using. He says no players have an issue with pitchers using sunscreen and rosin.

"We had a union meeting and 36 reps are on there. We said, 'Does anyone have a problem with sunscreen and rosin?' Not a single person said no. Get rid of spider tack, great. Find something better than mud. When you don't store them right they get chalky & bad."' https://t.co/VFqZ3OWlvr

— Tricia Whitaker (@TriciaWhitaker) June 15, 2021

Players shouldn’t have any issue with the use of rosin, because it is legal. So Glasnow’s anecdote doesn’t really apply.

However, he does make a fair point about MLB put pitchers in a more difficult spot than necessary by cracking down midseason rather than the offseason. But if Glasnow’s colleagues weren’t abusing the system so much, MLB wouldn’t have to do what it’s now doing.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: