Disabled list
From BR Bullpen
The disabled list or DL is the place where players' names are inscribed when they are unavailable for a lengthy period due to an injury. When a player is on the disabled list, he cannot be used in a game, although he can stay with his team and even sit, in uniform, in the team's dug-out (with permission from the League); he can be replaced by another player on the active roster (i.e. the 25-man roster). Once the injured player is ready to return to action, another player's name must be removed from the active roster to make room.
There are currently two types of disabled lists in Major League Baseball. The regular disabled list is the 15-day disabled list. This list was created in 1984 to replace the 10-day disabled list. Players must remain away from action for at least that number of days while they recover from whatever injury is preventing them from playing; they can however stay on the list indefinitely until they heal. While they are on the disabled list, players may be sent, with their permission, on a rehabilitation assignment in the minor leagues. The length of these assignments is limited to a week or so, and players are paid a Major League salary while they are on a rehabilitation assignment. A player on the 15-day disabled list continues to occupy a spot on the Major League roster (i.e. the 40-man roster).
The second type of disabled list is the 60-day disabled list. This is used for more serious injuries that require many weeks of healing. A player on this list can be replaced both on the active roster and the Major League roster during the regular season and post-season. However, he must return to the Major League roster during the off-season if his team wants to retain his services for the future. Some players who are in fact retired are put on the 60-day disabled list for insurance purposes; this was the case of Albert Belle, who spent two full seasons on the Baltimore Orioles disabled list after announcing his retirement in spring training 2001 because of a degenerative hip injury. This move allowed the Orioles to claim reimbursement for a portion of Belle's guaranteed salary from an insurance company, but it also meant that they had to put Belle's name back on the Major League roster after the 2001 and 2002 seasons, thus losing a spot for an actual player.
A player's name can be put on the disabled list retroactively, dating back to the last day in which he took part in a game, but limited to five days. This is often used in the case of pulled muscles, when the healing period, which is normally only a few days, sometimes stretches longer than anticipated. It is also used when a starting pitcher must miss a start with a minor injury; this allows his team to call-up a replacement starter, and brings forward the pitcher's return date by a few days.
Prior to 1990, there was also a 21-day disabled list as an intermediate range between ten and sixty days. Before the elimination of the 21-day list, the number of players who could be placed on the disabled list was limited, and there was much less flexibility about when they could return to action. For example, players with Major League contracts were not allowed to go to the Minor Leagues for rehabilitation purposes in those days.
