If you’re a baseball fan—and maybe even if you’re not—you’ve heard something about the new torpedo bats used by the New York Yankees.
The bats, which are shaped like, well, torpedoes, powered the Yankees to a record 15 home runs in their first three games of the 2025 season. Designed with more wood concentrated near the handle and less near the end, they’re meant to maximize bat speed and control.
Although at least one of the attorney editors here admits to being a Yankees fan, we’re more concerned with injuries than home runs at Enjuris. Specifically, do the bats cause injuries? And if so, does that make them defective?
Can Giancarlo Stanton’s injuries be blamed on torpedo bats?
When Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton showed up to spring training this year nursing pain in both elbows, there were whispers that the torpedo bat was to blame.
Stanton began swinging the bat during the 2023 season, ahead of some of his teammates who adopted it more recently. During spring training, he told reporters his elbow issues could be related to “probably some bat adjustments,” though he later backtracked and declined to say whether he believed the torpedo bat caused the pain.
Still, the comments set off a debate and raised some questions: When elite athletes get injured while using revolutionary gear, can a piece of equipment be held legally responsible?
The torpedo bat was designed by former Yankees staffer and MIT physicist Aaron Leonhardt, now working for the Marlins.
What is product liability and how does it apply to sports equipment?
Product liability law is designed to protect consumers from defective or dangerous products. In general, there are three types of defects that may lead to a product liability claim:
| Type | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing defect | A defectively manufactured product is one that—though properly designed—left the manufacturer in a condition other than intended. | A batch of football helmets left the factory with a hairline crack in the outer shell due to a flaw in the molding process. One of the helmets shattered on impact during a tackle, causing a player to suffer a concussion. |
| Design defect | A product is defectively designed if it failed to perform as safely as a reasonable person would expect, even when used as intended (or at least in a manner that was reasonably foreseeable) | A line of baseball bats was designed with a thinner-than-standard handle to improve swing speed, but the handles frequently snapped during gameplay, leading to multiple hand and wrist injuries. |
| Failure to warn | Manufacturers have a duty to warn users of the dangers that can be reasonably anticipated and that are inherent in their products. | A grip-enhancing spray marketed to tennis players failed to warn users that applying it to certain racket materials could degrade the handle over time. Several players experienced handle failure mid-match, resulting in hand and arm injuries. |
Most product liability lawsuits involve everyday consumer goods—think faulty airbags or exploding e-cigarettes. But the same laws apply to sporting equipment, including baseball bats.
If a piece of equipment causes injury because it was poorly designed or didn’t come with adequate safety warnings, the manufacturer (and sometimes distributors or sellers) can be held liable.
However, things get a little more complicated when it comes to professional athletes, who often have access to prototype or custom equipment—and who may assume some risk in using gear that hasn’t undergone mass-market testing.
Could a baseball player like Stanton file a product liability lawsuit?
The short answer is: yes. If a player can show that a defective piece of equipment caused or contributed to an injury, they could pursue a product liability claim against the manufacturer. But proving liability—especially for a professional athlete—isn’t always easy.
A lawsuit would likely hinge on whether the bat had a design flaw or whether the manufacturer failed to warn about potential risks associated with its use. But that’s just the first hurdle. The bigger legal challenge comes down to causation—proving that the defect was the direct cause of the injury.
In Stanton’s case, for example, it would be difficult to draw a straight line from the torpedo bat to his elbow pain. He’s an often-injured player with a history of strains, tears, and tendon issues. A defense attorney would likely argue that his current injury could just as easily stem from years of wear and tear, improper mechanics, or pre-existing conditions—not the bat itself.
Even if a defect exists, the claim won’t hold up unless the injured party can show that the defect more likely than not caused the injury.
There’s also the matter of how the equipment was used. If the injury resulted from misuse—or if the player knew about the risks and used it anyway—that could weaken the claim.
And there’s another wrinkle: professional athletes often work closely with trainers, doctors, and equipment specialists. Any lawsuit would have to account for whether these professionals approved or recommended the equipment. If they did, that could shift or break the chain of liability.
Finally, many athletes have contracts with arbitration clauses or waivers that limit their ability to bring traditional product liability claims. So even if a bat causes injury, the path to holding someone accountable may be more complicated than it first appears.
What happens when major leaguers get hurt on the job?
At the end of the day, Giancarlo Stanton is an employee of the New York Yankees. If he’s injured while performing job-related duties—even swinging an experimental bat—it opens the door to another legal concept: workers’ compensation.
Professional athletes are generally covered by workers’ comp, though the rules vary by state and league. If an injury like Stanton’s is deemed work-related, he may be entitled to workers’ comp benefits such as medical care and wage replacement, regardless of fault.
But what if a third-party product (like the torpedo bat) caused or contributed to the injury? That’s when things get interesting. In these cases, the team or player might pursue a third-party product liability claim in addition to receiving workers’ comp benefits.
This is similar to what happens when a construction worker is injured on the job due to faulty equipment: they might file a workers’ comp claim through their employer and a separate lawsuit against the manufacturer of the defective tool.
For personal injury victims—whether in a stadium or on the sidewalk—the same principles apply. If you’ve been injured by a defective product, you may have a legal claim.
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