Say goodbye to the “disabled list” in Major League Baseball.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Thursday, citing a source familiar with the plan, that MLB will rename the DL as the “injured list” ahead of the 2019 season.
The rules of the list reportedly will remain the same, so this marks a simple name change. According to Passan, the league is making the change out of concern that the term “disabled” for injured players falsely compares disabilities with injuries and an inability to participate in sports.
The “injured list” currently includes a 10-day version (changed from a 15-day version in 2017) and a 60-day version that teams can use depending on the severity of a player’s injury. Sources told ESPN that MLB and the players’ association continue to discuss possible amendments to the usage of the list, with the league reportedly seeking to bring back the 15-day version.
This obviously represents a minor tweak for MLB, which is considering more significant rule changes this winter. But it’ll admittedly feel weird saying a player is “headed to the IL” — for the first few months, at least.
