The official word of the 2026 MLB season is: Loose bodies. Those little pieces of bone and cartilage have taken the league by storm, sidelining marquee pitchers across the AL and NL. The latest victim? Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Blake Snell, who landed on IL on Friday because of loose bodies in his left elbow.
As sports fans, we're familiar with all sorts of athletics injuries. I know the difference between a low and high ankle sprain. I know that non-contact knee injuries are the last thing you want to see and I am very aware that a pitcher leaving a game with "left elbow discomfort" is rarely as minor as fans hope. But I'll admit it, before this year, I can't remember ever hearing the term "loose bodies."
What are loose bodies?
I'll let ArmDocs.com do the explaining on this one: "Loose bodies in the elbow are small fragments of bone or gristle, which are floating in the joint...Small fragments of bone or articular cartilage (“gristle”) may break off from the bearing surface or margins of the joint as a result of an injury. When the joint suffers wear and tear, spurs may form at the margins and occasionally these may break off and become loose in the joint."
Spurs are a common issue for pitchers, given the repetitive stress they put on their elbow. All it takes is for one to break off to become a loose body.
Do loose bodies require surgery?
While the presence of loose bodies doesn't always require surgery, it usually is worth undergoing the arthoscopic procedure to get rid of it.
Loose bodies can cause pain, locking and inflammation if they're rubbing against the joint. Any of those symptoms can cause a pitcher to subtly change their throwing motion. Even a subtle change can put stress on the Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL).
You know what a UCL is? It's the ligament that requires Tommy John surgery when it's damaged. So yeah, avoiding the need for UCL reconstruction is a pretty good reason to get a loose body taken care of immediately.
Surgery can require a recovery period of two months, at best, so it's not a minor procedure. It's just a whole lot more minor than the 18 months of recovery time for Tommy John.
Which pitchers have gone on IL with loose bodies in 2026?
Loose bodies have impacted more than a handful of pitchers already this season, which is why we're even talking about them.
- Blake Snell, Dodgers
- Tarik Skubal, Tigers
- Edwin Diaz, Dodgers
- Hunter Greene, Reds
- Spencer Schwellenbach, Braves
- Hurston Waldrep, Braves
Snell is the second Dodgers pitcher to deal with loose bodies. Closer Edwin Diaz is on IL and recovering from surgery to remove five loose bodies in his elbow in mid-April.
Tigers ace Tarik Skubal underwent surgery for his loose body in May. Hunter Greene won't be back for the Reds until July after surgery in March.
The Braves got a double whammy during Spring Training with Spencer Schwellenback and Hurston Waldrep needing surgery in February. Both started the season on the 60-day IL. The former is expected to be cleared to throw soon while the latter recently began throwing bullpens.
Carlos Rodon only recently made his season debut for the Yankees after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur.
Are loose bodies more common in MLB now than in the past?
Loose bodies, so hot right now. pic.twitter.com/uU2fJQIomN
— Alicia de Artola Castillo (@PenguinOfTroy) May 16, 2026
No one can deny that the term "loose bodies" has become much more common in MLB circles. Google Trends shows a sharp increase in search volume in 2026 alone.
However, that doesn't mean loose bodies are particularly new. In fact, Snell missed two months with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019 after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies.
They've been around, perhaps just with different terminology. In the past, teams may have simply said their player was undergoing cleanup to their elbow. Or they may have referenced a bone chip or a bone spur. A loose body is just a more medically precise way to phrase it (because it's not necessarily bone).
At the same time, procedures to remove loose bodies have become more common. In the past, a player might have gone on IL with "inflamation" or "tightness." A team might have let them rest their way to recovery. However, as discussed above, leaving loose bodies in place can lead to other, more serious injuries. There is a more forward-thinking approach to treating the issue now.
Plus, technology has advanced. With high-resolution scanning technology, doctors can spot even the tiniest of loose bodies, catching the issue earlier before it becomes a significant issue.
Surgeons also have waves of state-of-the-art technology making procedures less invasive. According to The Athletic, Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the surgery to remove a "fat lima bean"-sized spec of cartilage from Skubal's elbow with a 1.9 millimeter diameter scope called the NanoNeedle Scope 2.0. That's half the diameter of a traditional scope, allowing for less swelling and hopefully a faster recovery for the Tigers pitcher.
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