MLB's 10 Most Fragile Players
Injuries are a team killer. When a player goes down, especially for an extended period of time, the entire team must pick up the slack the loss of that player creates.
While some injuries are freak accidents, and others are small bumps and bruises that get played through, there are some players who are almost impossible to keep on the field for an extended period of time.
Looking back for the past five years, the following are the most frequently injured players who not only got hurt a lot, but got hurt badly and thus had to spend considerable time on the disabled list.
Chris Young
1 of 10
Chris Young has tremendous talent but, unfortunately for him and his teammates, it’s been really difficult to get him on the field over the past five years.
Young has spent at least some time on the DL every year since 2007, including a significant number of days in each of the last three seasons.
Although one of the injuries was completely unavoidable (and horrific…he got hit in the face by a line drive) he’s also suffered issues with his pitching shoulder.
Young, currently a member of the New York Mets, is already on the DL in the 2011 season; if he can ever get healthy, though, the Mets should get a huge addition to their rotation…IF he ever gets healthy.
| Year | Days on DL | Reason on DL |
| 2007 | 15 | Strained Left Oblique |
| 2008 | 89 | Strained Right Forearm Nasal Fractures |
| 2009 | 112 | Inflammation in Right Shoulder |
| 2010 | 164 | Inflammation in Right Shoulder |
Joel Zumaya
2 of 10
We all know how Joel Zumaya can light up the radar gun, but he hasn't been doing it much lately because of a series of injuries that have been landing him on the DL.
Zumaya is a huge part of the Tigers' bullpen but, at this point, the Tigers are going to need to move forward with the thought process that Zumaya may never come back.
Most likely, he will not be the same pitcher if he does.
Here is Zumaya's list of injuries for the past five years:
| Year | Days on DL | Reason on DL |
| 2007 | 107 | Ruptured Tendon in Right Middle Finger |
| 2008 | 130 | Recover from Surgery on Right Shoulder |
| 2009 | 96 | Sore Right Shoulder (x2) |
| 2010 | 96 | Fractured Olecranon Process - Right Elbow |
Chien-Ming Wang
3 of 10
Remember the days when Chien-Ming Wang was the Yankees ace? His sinkerball was one of the best in all of baseball; but then the injuries came...
Wang has missed a ton of time in the past five years, including at least 100 days on the DL since 2008; and, much like Zumaya, Wang is still on the DL and it's unclear when (if) he'll return.
As of now, Wang is in the Washington Nationals organization.
| Year | Days on DL | Reason on DL |
| 2007 | 23 | Strained Right Hamstring |
| 2008 | 106 | Lisfranc Sprain Torn Tendon in Right Foot |
| 2009 | 125 | Strained Right Shoulder Weak Hip Muscles |
| 2010 | 182 | Recovery from Right Shoulder Surgery |
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Rich Harden
4 of 10
When Rich Harden is healthy, he can be one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. Luckily for hitters, Harden is rarely healthy these days.
Even in recent years, Harden has taken low-paying, one-year contracts to try and regain his value but, nonetheless, Harden continued to get injured and has been unable to show the baseball world he can stay healthy.
When Harden has been able to be healthy, though, he's been ineffective, which has led many to believe all the injuries to his arm have made him lose his dominant stuff from some years ago.
| Year | Days on DL | Reason on DL |
| 2006 | 146 | Sprained Right Elbow Back Strain |
| 2007 | 151 | Strained Pitching Shoulder (x2) |
| 2008 | 37 | Strained Right Subscapularis Muscle |
| 2009 | 26 | Strained Lower Back |
| 2010 | 64 | Tendinitis in Right Shoulder Strained Left Glut Muscle |
Angel Guzman
5 of 10
Angel Guzman has had some pretty rough years in the recent past; even more unfortunate for Guzman is that all of his injuries have been happening on his throwing arm.
Look at the laundry list of injuries, and days on the DL, Guzman has faced. It's hard to believe he'll ever be able to be effective, especially over the long- haul of a season, ever again.
| Year | Days on DL | Reason on DL |
| 2007 | 121 | Strained Right Elbow |
| 2008 | 155 | Tommy John Surgery |
| 2009 | 15 | Strained Right Triceps |
| 2010 | 182 | Torn Ligament in Right Shoulder |
Mike Sweeney
6 of 10
Mike Sweeney is the first hitter to appear on the list, but he won't be the last. There was a time when Sweeney was a lock for a solid batting average, but those days are long gone now.
Since 2006, Sweeney has made at least one visit to the DL each year. It's tough to keep a job on a professional baseball team, let alone perform, when you're missing so much time.
| Year | Days on DL | Reason DL |
| 2006 | 98 | Bulging Disc in Upper Back |
| 2007 | 74 | Cartilage Damage in Right Knee |
| 2008 | 97 | Surgery on Both Knees |
| 2009 | 15 | Back Spasms |
| 2010 | 54 | Back Spasms Inflamed Back |
Erik Bedard
7 of 10
My, how the mighty have fallen. Erik Bedard had a few great seasons and it seemed as if he was going to be the next big pitcher in baseball.
Then, the injuries came and Bedard has been trying to get back to his old form ever since.
What do you think? Looking at the list of injuries he's had since 2007, will he ever get back to his old form? Or even close to it?
| Years | Days on DL | Reason on DL |
| 2007 | 22 | Strained Right Oblique |
| 2008 | 102 | Surgery on Torn Labrum Sore Hip |
| 2009 | 100 | Inflamed Left Shoulder (x2) |
| 2010 | 182 | Recovery from Surgery on Left Shoulder |
Kelvim Escobar
8 of 10
Kelvim Escobar is another on the long list of pitchers who looked to have been becoming the next big thing but then got injured and has not been able to pitch effectively since.
In particular, the last three years have been really bad for Escobar as he has spent at least 180+ days on the DL in each of those years!
Even worse news for Escobar is that every single one of his injuries that has put him on the DL from the past five years has been to his throwing arm.
| Year | Days on DL | Reason on DL |
| 2006 | 15 | Right Elbow Irritation |
| 2007 | 15 | Irritation in Right Shoulder |
| 2008 | 184 | Torn Labrum in Right Shoulder |
| 2009 | 182 | Recovery from Surgery on Right Shoulder |
| 2010 | 182 | Soreness in Right Shoulder |
Nick Johnson
9 of 10
Nick Johnson had such great potential, especially given the plate discipline he had, but injuries have absolutely overtaken his career.
Much like the others on this list, Johnson has spent considerable time on the DL and only once since 2007 has Johnson not spent over 100 days on the DL.
The Yankees experimented by bringing Johnson back last season but, with a significant injury, he was unable to play much, and thus, that experiment came to an end.
| Year | Days on DL | Reason on DL |
| 2007 | 183 | Surgery on Fractured Right Femur (x2) |
| 2008 | 138 | Torn Tendon in Right Wrist |
| 2009 | 16 | Strained Right Hamstring |
| 2010 | 148 | Inflamed Tendon in Right Wrist |
Eric Chavez
10 of 10
Eric Chavez, another one on the list to pass through the Yankees' organization at some point in his career, will round our list.
Chavez had been a feared hitter for the Oakland Athletics for many years, but injuries have certainly changed the way pitchers pitch to him in the recent years.
| Year | Days on DL | Reason on DL |
| 2007 | 66 | Strained Left Oblique |
| 2008 | 155 | Inflammation on Right Shoulder Back Spasms |
| 2009 | 163 | Strained Right Forearm and Elbow |
| 2010 | 135 | Neck Spasms |
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