Theinjured reserve list (abbr.IR list) is a designation used inNorth Americanprofessional sports leagues forathletes who sufferinjuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in theNational Football League (NFL) andNational Hockey League (NHL), the "injured list" in theCanadian Football League (CFL), theinjured list (historically known as the "disabled list") inMajor League Baseball (MLB) andMajor League Soccer (MLS), and the "PUP List" inWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). TheNational Basketball Association (NBA) does not have a direct analog to an injured reserve list, instead using a more general-purpose "inactive list" that does not require a player to be injured.
Injured reserve lists are used because the rules of these leagues allow for only a certain numbers of players on each team'sroster. Designating a player as "Injured/Reserve" frees up a roster spot, enabling the team to add a new replacement player during the injured athlete's convalescence. Injured reserve can be for serious injuries or illnesses.
A player may be placed on injured reserve if he is unable to participate due to illness or injury, provided that the player had passed the club's initialphysical examination at the start of the season. To qualify for the IR due to injury, that injury must be sufficient (in the opinion of the team's medical staff) to render the player unable to participate for the seven days following that injury. Once placed on IR, the team may then replace the player on their roster. The player on IR may not return to active play for seven days, although they may participate in non-competitive events such as practice, meetings, etc.[1] the NHL also has an LTIR (Long-Term Injured Reserve) list, for long term injuries. the LTIR list requires the player to be out of play for 24 days AND 10 games.
A team may place a player on injured reserve (reserve/injured list) who is "not immediately available for participation with a club". Generally, these players may not practice or return to the active roster for the rest of the season (including postseason games or the Pro Bowl) in which they are placed on injured reserve but are allowed to be with the team.[2]
Starting in 2012 the NFL and theNFLPA reached an agreement allowing one player placed on injured reserve to be brought back to the active roster.[3] Provided that the player was on the final 53-man preseason roster (a rule exempted for the 2012 season) and that the injury was deemed to keep this player unable to practice or play football for an estimated six weeks, the player may be allowed to practice after Week 6 and be activated to play after Week 8.[4] In 2017 the rule was changed to allow up to two players to return from injured reserve after Week 8.[5] In 2018 the rule was slightly modified to account for teams'bye weeks: players became eligible to return only after their team had played eight games instead of after eight weeks.[6] In the wake of theCOVID-19 pandemic, teams were allowed to re-activate an unlimited number of players after a minimum of three games each.[7] In 2022, a limit of eight players was reintroduced, and the minimum duration increased to four games.[8]
In 2024 teams making the playoffs were granted two additional activations for postseason use only, for a maximum of ten; any activations not used in the regular season can carry over.[9]
Teams may also place a player on injured reserve with a minor injury designation, but the team must release the player once he is healthy.[10]
During thepreseason, the league also allows players with long-term, but not season-ending, injuries to be placed into one of three designations:physically unable to perform (PUP) for injuries sustained during the previous season or during offseason training activities (a player who passes their physical at the beginning of training camp and practices is physically able to participate and is thus ineligible for the PUP list), reserve/non-football injury (NFI) for injuries sustained outside of team or league activities (despite the name, this includes lingering injuries fromcollege football play, should an injured player be drafted and join the team), or reserve/non-football illness (NFI) for severe illnesses sustained by players unrelated to football. Players on the PUP list can be moved to the active roster after week 6 of the regular season or placed on injured reserve. As of 2018[update], players on the NFI lists can begin practicing after week 6 but cannot be activated until their team has played eight games. When a player from the NFI list begins practicing, a three-week window starts in which they are eligible to be moved to the active roster. If the player is not activated at the conclusion of the three-week window, they must remain on the NFI list for the rest of the season.[11] During the regular season, players on the PUP list and injured reserve do not count against the league's 53-man roster maximum, but do count against the 90-man roster limit.
Due to abuses in the use of the injured reserve list, where some teams found it convenient to use the IR to stash players without independent medical oversight, the injured reserve has been renamed the Inactive List with the lastcollective bargaining agreement. Starting in the2005–06 season, players can enter the inactive list one hour before tip-off for as little as one game. The inactive list has a minimum of one player and a maximum of three, subject to hardship rules when a team with three injured players already on its inactive list has a fourth player injured. Players sent to theNBA G League continues to count on a team's inactive list.[12][13]
Unlike theNBA, theWNBA has no injury list as of the2019 season. This notably affected theSeattle Storm going into that season, when reigningleague MVPBreanna Stewarttore her rightAchilles in the2019 EuroLeague Women final. Because of the lack of an injured list, the Storm suspended Stewart without pay to free up a roster spot. (The WNBA would later make Stewart a paid league ambassador during her rehabilitation.)[14]
The league had an injury list when it began play in 1997; players placed on this list were required to sit out at least three games. In 2006, the league changed to an inactive list of up to two players, but it was eliminated after the 2008 season, when rosters were reduced to 11. WNBA rosters now consist of 12 players.[14]
There are five types of injured reserve lists in Major League Baseball.
WithinWWE, the closest functional analogue to a sports-league injured reserve system is the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List. This designation applies to any contracted performer from the company’s main roster programs (Raw and SmackDown) to developmental brands such as NXT and Evolve. Injuries may occur during televised matches, non-televised live events, training sessions, or other company activities.
The modern use of a centralized injury-tracking designation within WWE emerged in part after several high-profile disputes in the early 2010s regarding the handling of performer health. Notably,CM Punk publicly alleged that his injuries and illnesses were not adequately addressed by WWE medical personnel, and that creative staff continued to schedule him under the assumption that he was healthy. These disputes preceded his departure from the company in 2014. Punk’s criticisms and the subsequent public discourse surrounding WWE’s medical protocols have been credited—by journalists, performers, and industry commentators—with contributing to broader changes in WWE’s approach to locker-room culture and injury management. Punk later returned to WWE in 2023.
Once placed on the PUP list, a performer is generally removed from active in-ring competition and may also be absent from regular on-screen appearances until medically cleared. Unlike major North American sports leagues which frequently mandate minimum absence periods or provide formal “designated to return” windows. WWE does not publish fixed timelines or regulated recovery thresholds for its PUP designations. Instead, a performer’s return is determined by the combination of medical clearance from WWE’s internal medical staff and the company’s creative planning.
While listed as PUP, performers may continue to appear in non-wrestling segments such as promos, interviews, or backstage vignettes, depending on storyline needs. If they are not needed for any creative duties, they are removed from the internal roster as not to accidentally schedule and/or book them for a show while they are injured. Upon clearance, they are restored to active competition. WWE’spublicly available personnel listings define the PUP category as consisting of “talent currently out with a legitimate injury, or away from programming for other reasons,” reflecting its role as an internally managed roster-tracking tool rather than a formal regulatory mechanism. Those with injuries inkayfabe are not placed on this list. Recovery timelines for WWE performers often differ significantly from those observed in traditional sports leagues due to the distinct physical demands and performance schedule of professional wrestling. For example, shoulder dislocations in the NFL typically require approximately four to ten weeks of recovery. In contrast, WWE performers have experienced substantially longer absences following similar injuries. For instance; in 2024,Liv Morgan was out for 6 months following a shoulder dislocation. Comparable discrepancies appear with other injuries. Torn pectoral muscles in the NFL generally involve a recovery period of four to six months, whereas the same injury has sidelined WWE performers for intervals ranging from eight to fourteen months. The reasons for these differences are not definitively established, but they are generally attributed to the unique physical requirements of professional wrestling, which blends athletic performance with high-frequency, high-impact choreography.
Due to the variability and extended nature of these recovery periods, WWE does not impose a maximum duration for which a performer may remain on the PUP list. The designation functions primarily as a flexible, internally regulated roster-management tool that accommodates the unpredictable and individualized nature of injury rehabilitation within professional wrestling.
InMajor League Soccer (MLS), injury-related roster management is governed through two primary mechanisms: the Injured List and the Season-Ending Injury List. These designations are defined within the league’s roster and salary-budget regulations and allow clubs to replace players who are unavailable for extended periods due to injury.
A player may be placed on the Injured List when the club determines that the injury will prevent the player from participating in a minimum of six MLS regular-season matches. While listed, the player is prohibited from competing not only in league matches but also in any official competition during that period, including theU.S. Open Cup,Canadian Championship,Leagues Cup,Campeones Cup, or theCONCACAF Champions Cup. Placement on the Injured List may open a roster spot for the club to sign a replacement, but it does not provide relief from the injured player’s Salary Budget Charge. As a result, the club must independently possess or create sufficient salary-budget space to add a replacement. When an international player is placed on the Injured List, the replacement player may occupy an international roster position.
If a player is deemed medically unavailable for the remainder of the MLS season, the club may place that player on the Season-Ending Injury List. A club may then sign one replacement player under the season-ending injury mechanism. Under this rule, the replacement player’s Salary Budget Charge may not exceed that of the injured player, and if the injured player holds a Designated Player slot, the replacement may also be a Designated Player provided the salary-budget restrictions are met. In contrast to the short-term Injured List, the replacement signed under the season-ending mechanism does not count against the club’s Salary Budget, creating a special exception intended to mitigate the impact of significant long-term injuries. Each club may utilize this mechanism only once during a given league season.
MLS does not employ terminology such as “injured reserve” or “physically unable to perform” that is common in other North American sports leagues. Instead, the Injured List and Season-Ending Injury List function as internal roster-management designations tailored to the league’s salary-budget structure and competitive regulations. These mechanisms do not impose minimum or maximum absence periods beyond the general requirements of the rules, nor do they feature the multiple tiers, activation procedures, or return-designation windows found in systems such as the NFL’s reserve/PUP lists or the NHL’s injured reserve.
Now, the active and inactive list can be set on a game-by-game basis, one hour before tip-off, with no length of stay required for either list.
Teams may have a maximum of three players on their inactive list (subject to hardship rules, which will apply in the event that a team with three injured players on its inactive list has a fourth player that suffers an injury).