A major league record was set over the weekend and is unlikely to be broken — without a reversal of rules that won’t go into effect until next season.
With players such as Jed Lowrie returning from injury and Toronto’s Anthony Kay making his major league debut, the total number of players used this season reached 1,381, breaking last season’s total of 1,379 and marking the sixth straight year a record was set.
This reflects teams’ willingness to use the injured list, their farm systems and maneuverability more than ever. The likelihood is that the final total will exceed 1,400 as teams are still summoning prospects for their debuts, and a group of injured veterans yet to play this year such as Dellin Betances, Luis Severino and Johnny Cueto are getting closer to playing.