He began the 1979 season on the disabled list (DL), with elbow problems, missing the first month. Later, that June, Christenson broke his collarbone during a charity bicycle ride and missed several weeks.
At the beginning of the 1979 season, Christenson began his rehabilitation due to elbow problems, which forced him to miss the first month. In June, he suffered a collarbone fracture while participating in a charity bike ride, resulting in several missed weeks.