Twins catcher Joe Mauer was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list yesterday after taking multiple foul tips off his mask in Monday’s game led to dizziness 24 hours later and as LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes Mauer is the fifth catcher currently on the concussion DL.
Mauer joins Alex Avila, John Jaso, Carlos Corporan, and Yorvit Torrealba on the concussion DL and within the past month fellow catchers Salvador Perez, Ryan Doumit, and David Ross have been sidelined by concussions. Even minor league catching prospect Tommy Joseph of the Phillies recently had his season ended by a concussion.
Obviously plenty of non-catchers have had concussions too, but the rate at which catchers are suffering brain injuries this season is startling. At any given time there are somewhere between 60 and 75 catchers on MLB rosters and within the past 30 days around 15 percent of them have been on the disabled list specifically designed for concussions. MLB has made major strides in terms of concussion awareness and treatment in general, but it’s time to take a long look at the physical toll catching takes on someone’s brain before careers and lives are ruined.