Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Deven Marrero was placed on the 10 day disabled list on June 30th with what was described as a strained left oblique. The injury occurred during batting practice.

The oblique muscles attach to the rib cage and help rotate the trunk of the body.  A strain—partial tearing—of the oblique muscle can occur during a forceful twisting of the body during a swing.  This type of injury also occurs in cricket players and javelin throwers.

People with an oblique strain have pain in the side with rotation of the trunk. Muscle strains heal with time. It is important to keep active and flexible.  It’s difficult to swing and throw effectively during the initial week or two when the strain is most painful. Baseball players typically return between 1 and 3 weeks of an oblique strain.

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Other athlete media coverage of oblique strains:

• Michael Wacha had an oblique strain on June 22nd, 2018.  It was reported that he had an MRI to confirm the severity of the strain, but there is no established value to this step.  It seems like athletes get an MRI for just about everything and most are unnecessary. Wacha is hopeful that his absence will be measured in weeks, not months, but such injuries have been known to linger. No information on treatment.
• Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Robbie Ray left the game on April 29th, 2018 with a strained right oblique. Ray’s MRI revealed a grade 2 strain, meaning more than a slight tear in the muscle, but not a complete detachment. Ray returned to play after 5 weeks. The use of MRI for an oblique strain is puzzling. We know from the mechanism, the location of pain reported and tenderness identified that there is an oblique strain. Surgery is never considered for this type of injury. When a player is comfortable enough to play effectively, the player returns to play. MRI does not aid diagnosis, treatment, or prognosis.