Recovery

Baseball Arm Care Program

6 min readUpdated July 15, 2026

The number one cause of Tommy John surgery in young players isn't overuse of any single pitch — it's cumulative fatigue and skipped recovery. A 15-minute arm care routine, done daily, dramatically reduces injury risk.

Daily arm care routine

Bands (Jaeger J-Bands)

10 reps of each movement: external rotation, internal rotation, forward flexion, scap retraction. 5 minutes.

Rotator cuff

3x10 of face pulls, prone Ys and Ts. 3 minutes.

Sleeper stretch

2x30 seconds each side to maintain internal rotation range.

Wrist and forearm

Grippers, wrist rollers, reverse curls. 3 minutes.

Post-throwing recovery

Ice or cold plunge (10 min), foam roll lats and thoracic spine, sleep 8+ hours.

Frequently asked questions

Should I ice after every outing?+

Yes for pitchers — 10 minutes of ice on the shoulder reduces inflammation. Not necessary after position player throwing.

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