When most of us were kids, baseball was something you played in the late spring and summer, usually with a team of friends from the same school. Things sure have changed over the years. In an ever-competitive youth sports environment, most tournament and competitive teams practice and play year- round. But the head team doctor for the Kansas City Royals says young players…especially the pitchers, need time off.

In the video, from the Royals Spring Training facility in Surprise, Arizona, Vincent Key, MD, head team doctor and orthopedic surgeon with the Sports Medicine and Performance Center at The University of Kansas Health System, says he does not think it’s healthy for young baseball players to go all year. He explains why players need 3-6 months off training for baseball depending on their position, but says it’s OK to play other winter sports such as basketball, football or soccer. Dr. Key says with year-round training and playing baseball, young players get more fatigued, and with more and more fatigue comes more and more injuries.