Article: Is Rock Climbing the Answer to Baseball's Elbow-Injury Epidemic?

[Maddie Landis]

In early 2024, a significant number of high-profile pitchers were sidelined due to injuries, prompting media outlets to speculate about a possible epidemic. Baseball players, the MLBPA, and MLB listed different sources of the issue: the pitch clock, the rise of movement-heavy pitches, and pitchers throwing harder. However, the issue isn’t limited to professional baseball. High school players and coaches are also reporting an increase in elbow injuries.

In medical terms, Tommy John surgery is referred to as ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction. Ligaments connect bones to other bones; the UCL stabilizes the humerus (upper arm) and the ulna (lower arm). Professional athletes push their bodies to the limit. Baseball is a repetitive game, and pitching itself is an unnatural motion to undertake, especially when throwing pitches at high velocities with funky movement. The unnatural repetitive motion of pitching induces high levels of valgus forces on the elbow, leading to the ligament to break away, stretch, and in the worst case scenario, tear.

Since 2019, 10/12 (roughly 83%) of the Cy Young Award winners have gone under the knife for Tommy John surgery. (The only pitchers that haven't are Tr*vor B*uer in 2020 and Blake Snell in 2023.) Some pitchers successfully return post-surgery, and in some cases, their performance improves, while others don’t fare as well. A pitcher landing on the IL with Tommy John surgery is a gut punch to the player on a personal level and the team’s roster. The surgery is a season-ending injury, with the recovery time varying between 12 to 18 months. For prospects, some teams might avoid drafting a pitcher who has undergone Tommy John surgery. (Albeit, in some cases like Bryan Woo and Tarik Skubal, the surgery hasn't affected their future performance.) For established players, the surgery prevents them from playing and it can affects their leverage in securing a long-term contract.

How can we prevent players from injuring themselves? Scouts target velocity when evaluating pitching talent. This won’t change. While there are rare examples where pitchers aren’t born with a UCL (à la R.J. Dickey) or their UCL calcifies over time to stabilize their elbow, most athletes don't win the genetic lottery and aren’t born with injury-averse bodies. Year-round baseball puts continuous strain on a player’s body, increasing the risk of overuse injuries. Cross-training in other sports offers a way to stay in shape while reducing that wear and tear on the body. I propose a relatively simple solution to help prevent elbow injuries: start rock climbing.

Rock climbing strengthens the flexor pronator muscles, which are secondary stabilizers that cushion the UCL from high valgus forces. A study conducted in 2015 found, “The flexor pronator muscles (specifically the Flexor carpi ulnaris, Pronator teres, and Flexor digitorum superficialis) may help protect baseball pitchers from ulnar collateral ligament injuries and weakness of these muscles might make individuals prone to ulnar collateral ligament injuries and subsequent valgus overload syndrome.” The conclusion emphasized: 

Quote

“It is possible that this data would be helpful to predict individuals who are predisposed toward ulnar collateral ligament injuries, as well as in the development of comprehensive flexor-pronator muscle strengthening programs aimed at maintaining secondary stabilizer strength over the course of the baseball season.”

The palmarus longus is often used as the graft tendon to replace the damaged UCL. If a player already has weak forearm muscles, their surgery might not be successful. It should be a priority to maintain proper strength of the flexor pronator muscles, aka forearm muscles, throughout the season, and rock climbing is the perfect exercise to do so.

Image from “Forearm Muscle Strains Have an Alarming Relationship with UCL Injuries” by Christopher S. Ahmad, M.D. 

Typical grip strengthening exercises include isometric exercises and resistance training. Sometimes you’ll see players using grip trainers at baseball games. (I have one next to my laptop as I’m typing this piece.) Stationary lifting comes with its own set of limitations. Many popular weight training exercises  (bicep curls, calf raises, leg extensions, dumbbell shrugs, etc.) isolate a single muscle group. These exercises neglect training the stabilizer muscles and can create muscle imbalances. If you’ve ever seen someone who doesn’t hit their legs at the gym, you know what I mean. (Never skip leg day.) Rock climbing engages the body in a dynamic range of movement. Plus, it’s an engaging team-building activity compared to traditional stationary lifting.

Muscle Groups Worked By Rock Climbing

Muscle Group	Main Functions
Back	Pulling, stabilization
Arms	Pulling, hanging, supporting
Shoulders	Stabilization, mobility
Forearms	Grip strength
Core	Spine/pelvis stabilization
Glutes/Hip flexors	Leg drive, mobility
Quads/Hamstrings	Controlled moves
Calves	Balance, footwork

Chart from Climbontherocks.com 

I’ve outlined a very rough study to determine the benefits of incorporating rock climbing into a baseball player's training regimen:

Hypothesis: If baseball pitchers add rock climbing to their training, their grip strength, spin rate, command, and velocity will increase. 

Independent variable: addition of rock climbing training

Dependent variable: athletes’ performance

Control: baseball players not adding rock climbing to their training routine 

Data

1. Measure grip strength before the study 
2. Measure grip strength afterward
3. Compare performance with: 
   1. Before implementing climbing
   2. After implementing climbing

Pitchers 

• Extension

• Velocity 
• Spin rate
• Command
  • Zone%
  • First-Pitch Strike%
  • Pitch Location Metrics (Pitch Location by Zone, Location Heat Map)
  • Z-Swing%
  • SwStr%

Batters

• Average bat speed
• Fast swing rate
• Contact rate
• Hard Hit%
• Barrel%

I included some batter metrics in the outline because rock climbing benefits different aspects of baseball by increasing grip strength. Pitchers can’t have all the fun! For batters, grip strength enhances bat swing and control. For position players, it enables a quicker transfer of the ball from the glove to the hand and improves throwing accuracy. Pitchers tinker with their grips throughout the season and a higher grip strength increases their overall accuracy and power. 

Core strength is a critical component of rock climbing. When climbing, the core acts as your control center, stabilizing your head, arms, shoulders, and legs. Consequently, rock climbers typically have stronger obliques. Earlier this year, I wrote about bat speed and discussed the correlation between the rising emphasis on bat speed and increase in oblique injuries. Rock climbing could benefit batters by helping them maintain their core strength to prevent oblique strains.

The rise of indoor rock climbing centers in the United States opens avenues for MLB teams to partner with local businesses. Central Rock Gym is a one-minute walk away from Fenway Park. Teams that play in the Cactus League in Arizona over spring training have the opportunity to rock climb in an outdoor setting. 

That’s not to say rock climbing doesn’t come with risks and injuries. As with any sport, overuse injuries are common. The most common climbing injury is a finger pulley tear. Other injuries include climber’s elbow and Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Tears (TFCC). You wouldn’t want a player to deal with any of these during the season. However, with training that emphasizes  proper mechanics, the benefits outweigh the risks. 

I concede that this is a zany idea, and I’m not a medical expert or a licensed trainer. By no means am I suggesting that baseball players should free solo El Capitan! But incorporating rock climbing into a player's training regime just 2-3 times per week could be beneficial. Innovative, progressive MLB teams were initially met with skepticism before their ideas were adopted by the rest of the league. Consider baseball's analytics revolution. Out-of-the-box approaches, such as baseball players cross-training with rock climbing, could lead to significant improvements in injury prevention and player performance.

View full article

[Malcolm White]

Fascinating, truly.  We all know that the ol' "forearm strain" has been a precursor to seeing Dr. Andrews for a long time.

The pitching injuries are epidemic--Sox lost a rotation's worth of guys (Crawford, Houck, Dobbins, Fitts, May) at various points.  Any doc will tell a rehab patient they must strengthen the areas around the affected joint for best results.

Send it over to one of the many VPs in charge of something related to performance. Good idea!

[moonslav59]

6 minutes ago, Malcolm White said:

-Sox lost a rotation's worth of guys (Crawford, Houck, Dobbins, Fitts, May) at various points. 

Plus Sandoval all year. Criswell may have missed a few but was mostly in the pen, this year.

Gio & Bello missed a few starts early on.

Perales might have pitched for BOS, this year, too.

30+ each by Sandoval & Crawford (Perales)

20+ each by Houck & Dobbins

Some by Fitts, Gio, Bello, DMay

Easily 162 possible starts, yes!

 

[notin]

2 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Plus Sandoval all year. Criswell may have missed a few but was mostly in the pen, this year.

Gio & Bello missed a few starts early on.

Perales might have pitched for BOS, this year, too.

30+ each by Sandoval & Crawford (Perales)

20+ each by Houck & Dobbins

Some by Fitts, Gio, Bello, DMay

Easily 162 possible starts, yes!

 

I can’t count Sandoval among the pitchers the Sox lost.  If he never blew out his elbow,, he might not be in Boston.

Small point, I know…

[notin]

On 9/28/2025 at 5:57 AM, Maddie Landis said:

In early 2024, a significant number of high-profile pitchers were sidelined due to injuries, prompting media outlets to speculate about a possible epidemic. Baseball players, the MLBPA, and MLB listed different sources of the issue: the pitch clock, the rise of movement-heavy pitches, and pitchers throwing harder. However, the issue isn’t limited to professional baseball. High school players and coaches are also reporting an increase in elbow injuries.

In medical terms, Tommy John surgery is referred to as ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction. Ligaments connect bones to other bones; the UCL stabilizes the humerus (upper arm) and the ulna (lower arm). Professional athletes push their bodies to the limit. Baseball is a repetitive game, and pitching itself is an unnatural motion to undertake, especially when throwing pitches at high velocities with funky movement. The unnatural repetitive motion of pitching induces high levels of valgus forces on the elbow, leading to the ligament to break away, stretch, and in the worst case scenario, tear.

Since 2019, 10/12 (roughly 83%) of the Cy Young Award winners have gone under the knife for Tommy John surgery. (The only pitchers that haven't are Tr*vor B*uer in 2020 and Blake Snell in 2023.) Some pitchers successfully return post-surgery, and in some cases, their performance improves, while others don’t fare as well. A pitcher landing on the IL with Tommy John surgery is a gut punch to the player on a personal level and the team’s roster. The surgery is a season-ending injury, with the recovery time varying between 12 to 18 months. For prospects, some teams might avoid drafting a pitcher who has undergone Tommy John surgery. (Albeit, in some cases like Bryan Woo and Tarik Skubal, the surgery hasn't affected their future performance.) For established players, the surgery prevents them from playing and it can affects their leverage in securing a long-term contract.

How can we prevent players from injuring themselves? Scouts target velocity when evaluating pitching talent. This won’t change. While there are rare examples where pitchers aren’t born with a UCL (à la R.J. Dickey) or their UCL calcifies over time to stabilize their elbow, most athletes don't win the genetic lottery and aren’t born with injury-averse bodies. Year-round baseball puts continuous strain on a player’s body, increasing the risk of overuse injuries. Cross-training in other sports offers a way to stay in shape while reducing that wear and tear on the body. I propose a relatively simple solution to help prevent elbow injuries: start rock climbing.

Rock climbing strengthens the flexor pronator muscles, which are secondary stabilizers that cushion the UCL from high valgus forces. A study conducted in 2015 found, “The flexor pronator muscles (specifically the Flexor carpi ulnaris, Pronator teres, and Flexor digitorum superficialis) may help protect baseball pitchers from ulnar collateral ligament injuries and weakness of these muscles might make individuals prone to ulnar collateral ligament injuries and subsequent valgus overload syndrome.” The conclusion emphasized: 

The palmarus longus is often used as the graft tendon to replace the damaged UCL. If a player already has weak forearm muscles, their surgery might not be successful. It should be a priority to maintain proper strength of the flexor pronator muscles, aka forearm muscles, throughout the season, and rock climbing is the perfect exercise to do so.

Image from “Forearm Muscle Strains Have an Alarming Relationship with UCL Injuries” by Christopher S. Ahmad, M.D. 

Typical grip strengthening exercises include isometric exercises and resistance training. Sometimes you’ll see players using grip trainers at baseball games. (I have one next to my laptop as I’m typing this piece.) Stationary lifting comes with its own set of limitations. Many popular weight training exercises  (bicep curls, calf raises, leg extensions, dumbbell shrugs, etc.) isolate a single muscle group. These exercises neglect training the stabilizer muscles and can create muscle imbalances. If you’ve ever seen someone who doesn’t hit their legs at the gym, you know what I mean. (Never skip leg day.) Rock climbing engages the body in a dynamic range of movement. Plus, it’s an engaging team-building activity compared to traditional stationary lifting.

Muscle Groups Worked By Rock Climbing

Muscle Group	Main Functions
Back	Pulling, stabilization
Arms	Pulling, hanging, supporting
Shoulders	Stabilization, mobility
Forearms	Grip strength
Core	Spine/pelvis stabilization
Glutes/Hip flexors	Leg drive, mobility
Quads/Hamstrings	Controlled moves
Calves	Balance, footwork

Chart from Climbontherocks.com 

I’ve outlined a very rough study to determine the benefits of incorporating rock climbing into a baseball player's training regimen:

Hypothesis: If baseball pitchers add rock climbing to their training, their grip strength, spin rate, command, and velocity will increase. 

Independent variable: addition of rock climbing training

Dependent variable: athletes’ performance

Control: baseball players not adding rock climbing to their training routine 

Data

1. Measure grip strength before the study 
2. Measure grip strength afterward
3. Compare performance with: 
   1. Before implementing climbing
   2. After implementing climbing

Pitchers 

• Extension

• Velocity 
• Spin rate
• Command
  • Zone%
  • First-Pitch Strike%
  • Pitch Location Metrics (Pitch Location by Zone, Location Heat Map)
  • Z-Swing%
  • SwStr%

Batters

• Average bat speed
• Fast swing rate
• Contact rate
• Hard Hit%
• Barrel%

I included some batter metrics in the outline because rock climbing benefits different aspects of baseball by increasing grip strength. Pitchers can’t have all the fun! For batters, grip strength enhances bat swing and control. For position players, it enables a quicker transfer of the ball from the glove to the hand and improves throwing accuracy. Pitchers tinker with their grips throughout the season and a higher grip strength increases their overall accuracy and power. 

Core strength is a critical component of rock climbing. When climbing, the core acts as your control center, stabilizing your head, arms, shoulders, and legs. Consequently, rock climbers typically have stronger obliques. Earlier this year, I wrote about bat speed and discussed the correlation between the rising emphasis on bat speed and increase in oblique injuries. Rock climbing could benefit batters by helping them maintain their core strength to prevent oblique strains.

The rise of indoor rock climbing centers in the United States opens avenues for MLB teams to partner with local businesses. Central Rock Gym is a one-minute walk away from Fenway Park. Teams that play in the Cactus League in Arizona over spring training have the opportunity to rock climb in an outdoor setting. 

That’s not to say rock climbing doesn’t come with risks and injuries. As with any sport, overuse injuries are common. The most common climbing injury is a finger pulley tear. Other injuries include climber’s elbow and Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Tears (TFCC). You wouldn’t want a player to deal with any of these during the season. However, with training that emphasizes  proper mechanics, the benefits outweigh the risks. 

I concede that this is a zany idea, and I’m not a medical expert or a licensed trainer. By no means am I suggesting that baseball players should free solo El Capitan! But incorporating rock climbing into a player's training regime just 2-3 times per week could be beneficial. Innovative, progressive MLB teams were initially met with skepticism before their ideas were adopted by the rest of the league. Consider baseball's analytics revolution. Out-of-the-box approaches, such as baseball players cross-training with rock climbing, could lead to significant improvements in injury prevention and player performance.

 

View full article

 

Completely irrelevant, but “Complex Tears” (pronounced “tiers”) sounds like a good title for a hit song…

[notin]

A serious answer to this post - given all the contractual restrictions players making millions upon millions of dollars have regarding physical activities, I just don’t see them allowing rock climbing.  Protecting the elbow by potentially damaging the hand isn’t really all that beneficial.

Actual rock climbing has much greater risks.  But even using rock climbing walls in a gym can lead to injuries that prevent a pitcher from pitching…

[Bellhorn04]

Good stuff Maddie.  

[dgalehouse]

This just in: Garrett Crochet injured in rock climbing accident. Will miss playoffs and all of 2026 season.

[Kimmi]

2 hours ago, notin said:

A serious answer to this post - given all the contractual restrictions players making millions upon millions of dollars have regarding physical activities, I just don’t see them allowing rock climbing.  Protecting the elbow by potentially damaging the hand isn’t really all that beneficial.

Actual rock climbing has much greater risks.  But even using rock climbing walls in a gym can lead to injuries that prevent a pitcher from pitching…

I was thinking the same thing.  Rock climbing would be far too risky.

It seems like there should be some type of exercise or strengthening activity that mimics rock climbing closely enough to have the same potential benefits, without the risks.

[moonslav59]

21 hours ago, dgalehouse said:

This just in: Garrett Crochet injured in rock climbing accident. Will miss playoffs and all of 2026 season.

LOL. Imagine Cris Sale climbing rocks!