Player who wants to be inspiration in face of MLB injury concerns has the worst plan possible

Pitching injuries are on the rise this year again. We can debate about the pitch clock or other rule changes, but debating won't solve the fact that so many pitchers are essentially dropping like flies.

Cincinnati Reds reliever Tejay Antone is one of many pitchers who have gone down, and the right-hander is set to have his third elbow surgery on Friday.Antone isn't giving up hope on his Major League dreams though. He says he hopes to make it back and be an inspiration to other injured pitchers.

However, he might be going about it the wrong way. According to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, Antone is hoping to remain a high-octane pitcher and focus on velocity rather than be a command-and-control pitcher.

Antone chooses harder path in comeback approach

It would seem that Antone is taking the path of most resistance back to the big leagues.

He has been a high-octane pitcher for several years, but it may not be the best approach as he tries to come back and continue his career. Other pitchers who have dealt with multiple elbow issues have ultimately reinvented themselves and relied more on command and control.

A perfect example of this line of thought is Adam Wainwright, who nearly retired in 2018 after multiple elbow injuries but remade himself into a finesse pitcher rather than one who relied so heavily on velocity. Antone would be wise to follow Wainwright's example.

This could help lengthen his career and make him into more of an inspiration. Wainwright pitched five additional seasons after reinventing himself.

In today's game, many pitchers rely on velocity, but it seems that this approach is part of the problem with all of the pitching injuries that have occurred. Hopefully, Antone can make it back to the big leagues and pitch again. But there are other paths he can take if trying to remain a high-octane pitcher doesn't work out in his favor.