All-Star pitcher Jason Adam on years of injuries, setbacks: ‘The Lord was shaping me’  

A Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher who endured years of injuries and setbacks before a banner 2025 season says he’s now grateful for those low moments of adversity, believing they were part of God’s plan to deepen his faith and shape his character.

Jason Adam is a right-handed reliever who was drafted in 2010 by the Kansas City Royals and showed early promise in the minors before being traded to Minnesota and battling injuries that forced him to miss two entire seasons. He later signed with the Padres and eventually returned to the Royals, all while searching for a team that would stick with him – and for a stretch of health that would allow him to pitch injury-free and chase his dream of reaching the Big Leagues.

When the 2017 season opened, he was nothing more than a fringe pitcher fighting to stay in pro ball at any level. He remembers hating baseball and questioning whether it was all worth it.

“The Lord was shaping me through that,” Adam told the Sports Spectrum Podcast.

He made his MLB debut with the Royals in 2018 and earned his first big-league win in 2019 with the Toronto Blue Jays – but his run of injuries was not over. Following a breakthrough 2019 season with the Blue Jays that led to a contract with the Chicago Cubs, Adam was sidelined again, this time with a dislocated ankle.

His fortunes began to turn in 2022 when he signed with Tampa Bay and developed a reputation as a go-to reliever, finishing the season with an impressive 1.56 ERA before landing in San Diego in 2024.

Last season, Adam enjoyed the best year of his career, earning All-Star honors and finishing 8-4 with a 1.93 ERA.

It took 15 seasons from the time he was drafted to land on an All-Star team – and countless setbacks, injuries and moments of doubt along the way.

“I wouldn’t trade those years in the minor leagues, those years of hurt, where things looked hopeless to the outside world and people are telling me to get a real job – I wouldn’t trade them for three, four years of Big League time,” Adam told the Sports Spectrum Podcast. “It shaped me. It molded my soul. And it drew me closer to God.”

Adam has pitched for five Major League teams and – in fact – will begin the 2026 season on the 15-day injured list as he recovers from a quadriceps injury suffered late in 2025. He’s expected to return quickly and rejoin the Padres’ bullpen soon.

For Adam, those ups and downs have reshaped how he views adversity, believing the low moments are seasons when “God wants to grow me and do something different in our family, and you’ll always see blessings in it, since He always works it together for our good and His glory.”

The injuries, he said, have given him a deeper perspective on life beyond baseball. He and his wife, Kelsey Adam, have five daughters.

“Baseball’s cool. It’s great. I love it,” he said. “I love playing, but ultimately, it won’t satisfy me even in the highest highs. And it won’t kill me in the lowest lows.”