He uses what?! D-backs pitcher Drey Jameson on how botox is helping him avoid injury bug

Baseball players have their performance quirks, namely Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Andrew Saalfrank’s Rice Krispie pregame ritual, but fellow pitcher Drey Jameson might have the edge with his injury management method: botox.

The 28-year-old righty had his 2025 season shut down (three appearances, three innings pitched, 3.00 ERA) because of elbow discomfort and was searching for the best treatment alongside a Dallas-based doctor. He said there were “a lot of question marks” surrounding the backside of his elbow and that a cortisone shot and other relief efforts weren’t able to fully address “a knife-feeling sensation in my arm” when extended.

“(My doctor) was like, ‘Let’s try botox.’ And I’m like, ‘Botox. What is that going to do?,'” Jameson told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo Tuesday. “And so we went through the whole process and then before the botox they do this numbing shot basically that kind of acts like botox but it lasts four to five hours.

“It was just limbo for another two or three days and then we’re like, you know what, we’re still going to do the botox. And like a week and a half later, I picked a ball up and I threw it and I’m like, ‘I don’t feel anything.'”

Jameson said he didn’t have any injury flareups all through fall league and recently got the injection again as a “preventative” measure entering spring training.

The former 2019 MLB Draft pick by Arizona has thrown two straight scoreless appearances in Cactus League play after a rough first start on Feb. 25 against the Los Angeles Dodgers — two earned runs, two hits and a walk in an inning pitched.

He’s gotten up to 99 mph on his fastball thus far into his botox era, and hasn’t been “full go” yet. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Thursday following Jameson’s latest outing that he has not placed any restrictions on the right-hander.

“So when your wives are telling you (about) the headaches and they need the botox, that might be true, I don’t know,” Jameson added with a laugh.

While Jameson currently finds himself in a reliever role, he said being among the starting rotation is still the goal. The Greenfield, Indiana native has seven career MLB starts under his belt, with four coming in 2022 and three in 2023.

“I’m going to still stand strong on starting longevity because I feel most comfortable there. I feel like I have the stuff for that. I’m not a two-pitch guy,” Jameson said. “I think I have the stuff to go long into games. I have to prove myself to do that.

“I’ll be completely fine depending on the (bullpen) role, but, yeah, I’m all game for whatever’s thrown at me.”

It was only a 53-pitch sample size last season, but Jameson was non-discriminatory with his stuff, with his sinker being the most utilized at 30% and four-seam fastball the least used at 19%, according to Baseball Savant.

Heading into the 2026 season, he is working most on his changeup, as the “arm speed” required has been the most testing of his elbow. Jameson ideally wants the pitch to be in the 88 mph range while he grinds on improving its location.

Jameson already dealt with the long road of Tommy John surgery recovery in 2023, so doing anything — even the unconventional — to avoid another setback may be well-worth the investment.

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