ORLANDO, Fla. — MLB is changing the name of its disabled lists to injured lists.
Deputy commissioner Dan Halem said Thursday the change is being made at the suggestion of advocacy groups for the disabled, including the Link20 Network.
Clubs were notified of the change in a Dec. 20 memo to clubs from Jeff Pfeifer, senior director of league economics and operations in the commissioner’s office. The change was first reported by ESPN.
“In recent years, the commissioner has received several inquiries regarding the name of the ‘Disabled List,’ ” Pfeifer wrote. “The principal concern is that using the term ‘disabled’ for players who are injured supports the misconception that people with disabilities are injured and therefore are not able to participate or compete in sports. As a result, Major League Baseball has agreed to change the name ‘Disabled List’ to be the ‘Injured List’ at both the major and minor league levels. All standards and requirements for placement, reinstatement, etc., shall remain unchanged. This change, which is only a rebranding of the name itself, is effective immediately.”
The major leagues have had disabled lists of 10 and 60 days, plus a seven-day list only for players with concussions. MLB has proposed to the players’ association that the 10-day list go back to a 15-day minimum, its level before 2017.
