Professional Baseball Players Return to the Same Level of Play With No Effects on Performance After Operative Treatment of Batter’s Shoulder

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate return to play and level of performance after posterior labral repair for the treatment of batter’s shoulder in professional baseball players.

Methods

Subjects were selected if they underwent posterior labral repair from 2007 to 2019 at a single institution and had evidence of a batter’s shoulder injury defined as posterior instability and pain while batting. Subjects were excluded if they reported other traumatic mechanisms of injury. Demographic and perioperative data were collected from the participants’ medical records. Historical professional baseball statistics were collected from historical baseball statistics databases.

Results

This study included 4 Major League Baseball and 2 Minor League Baseball players. All players in this study were able to return to play at a professional level. The mean difference in at bats from 2 years before to 2 years after surgery was +209.83, which was not statistically significant (95% confidence interval [CI], –329 to 897; P = .219). The mean difference in batting average from 2 years before to 2 years after surgery was –0.054, which was also not statistically significant (95% CI, –0.136 to 0.017; P = .063). The mean difference in relative batting average from 2 years before to 2 years after surgery was +0.192, with a 95% nonparametric CI of –0.048 to 0.458; this was also not statistically significant (P = .062).

Conclusions

Players who have a batter’s shoulder injury do not experience any statistically significant drop in performance after posterior labral repair (2 years before vs 2 years after).

Level of Evidence

Level IV, Therapeutic case series.