The St. Louis Cardinals are having a great weekend of baseball against the Cleveland Guardians, but Nolan Arenado’s fun looks to have ended.
After recording his 1,900th career hit on an infield single, Arenado was spotted meekly racing the bases later in the game on his 400th career double in the top of the sixth inning, and the Cardinals decided to take him out of the game to avoid additional harm. It turned out that he had injured his finger during the at-bat where he recorded his 1,900th hit, but nothing was amiss with his lower body.
The Cardinals reported that Nolan Arenado was withdrawn from Sunday’s game for precautionary reasons due to a possible lower-half injury.
Jose Fermin pinch-hit for Arenado in the beginning of the eighth inning, raising questions about his health. While we don’t know for certain what was wrong with Arenado, it appears that something in his lower half was barking at him on the bases. It wasn’t bad enough to be removed from the game right away, as Arenado was not removed until the top of the eighth inning.
After the game, Arenado informed reporters that he had jammed his right index finger on his body after reaching first base on an infield hit, but that he expected to be good for Monday’s series opening against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
We will continue to watch Arenado’s condition and update this if it worsens. While Arenado hasn’t been himself this year, he remains one of baseball’s top defensive third basemen and has been stroking a better bat recently. Nolan Gorman has been producing at the plate and needs regular playing time, however, the Cardinals certainly don’t need another injury on their hands with Ivan Herrera on the IL, Lars Nootbaar ailing, and Jordan Walker on a rehab assignment.
It’s at least somewhat noteworthy that Nootbaar didn’t replace Arenado in the game, especially since he seemed to tweak something during yesterday’s matchup and wasn’t in the starting lineup today. Earlier this week, Nootbaar received an injection in his intercostal area that sidelined him for two games, and it appears that issue may have flared up again.
While the Cardinals have largely avoided major injuries this season, that trend could be shifting. If the lineup continues to thin out, it could be difficult for the team to maintain their current momentum. With a crucial series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on the horizon next weekend, it’s important for the Cardinals to get healthy.
We’ll share any updates as they come in regarding Arenado’s condition, and we’ll be closely watching Nootbaar’s status — especially with the possibility of an IL stint if there’s no improvement by tomorrow.