It’s no secret that professional athletes love playing video games.

One of the biggest games out there right now is Fortnite, a free third-person online shooting game that had over 45 million players signed up as of last month. 

On Wednesday, Red Sox lefty David Price was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. Price had felt discomfort in his pitching hand this season on two separate occasions this season when he noticed parts of his hand going numb. It’s unusual for baseball players to be diagnosed with the syndrome.

eSports players often get diagnosed with it because of the repetitive motions they encounter when playing videos, or people that spend multiple hours a day typing nonstop on a computer. Basically, if you have a job where your fingers or hands are constantly engaged and moving all day, there’s a chance you could be diagnosed with it.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Price spoke about just how popular the game has become inside the clubhouse, in hotel rooms, or at home, and that it’s “kind of taken over” with some of the Red Sox players.

So, is there a direct correlation between Price’s injury and the amount of Fornite that him and his teammates play? Manager Alex Cora doesn’t think so, but good luck getting him to admit that into the public sphere.

"It can happen in different ways," Cora said to Mass Live.

"It's about repetition. You throw bullpens, you throw flat ground, you throw games, you make adjustments with pitches. I don't know. The only thing we know is this (the diagnosis)."

When asked about if players like Price spending too much spend playing on their game consoles, Cora gave a diplomatic answer to the Hartford Courant. 

"No, no, no." 

“From what I know, David has been playing video games his whole life,” Cora said. “It seems like Fortnite now is the one everybody's playing, but last year I saw a lot of guys playing FIFA. That's all I know. There's a lot of teams playing Fortnite. But we'll talk about it.”

Price’s number aren’t that impressive this season, with his ERA coming in at 5.11 in seven starts with a less than stellar 2-4 record on one of the best teams in baseball. Cora went on to say that it's only a mild case of carpel tunnel, and that Price should have no problem making his next start in the rotation.


So, what do you think. Is there something to this story, or is it just a coincidence? Let us know in our Facebook comments.