The St. Louis Cardinals (62-64) cannot benefit from Nolan Arenado in 2025. Since the All-Star break, the Redbirds have missed many opportunities to make significant progress in the National League Wild Card standings, losing four of six games to the Colorado Rockies (who are now on a four-game winning streak) and being outscored 7-0 over a two-day span against the Miami Marlins. Simply put, they do not resemble a playoff-caliber team.
Nonetheless, the injured Arenado is desperate to return to the Cardinals and help them finish the season strong. The eight-time All-Star and ten-time Gold Glove winner is making modest progress in his comeback from a right shoulder issue suffered in late July. He disclosed the next steps in his rehabilitation.
“Nolan Arenado said this afternoon he hopes to begin taking swings and is optimistic he’ll be able to start a throwing program next week,” Katie Woo, from The Athletic, said. “He intends to play again this season, however the timeline is still unknown. ‘Pain is decreasing; it is clearly getting better.'”
This will be the first time Arenado has played fewer than 144 games in a 162-game season since 2014, so it’s understandable why he’s eager to return. The 34-year-old takes pride in his longevity and wants to be available for his teammates. Despite the trade rumors and offensive woes, Arenado remains dedicated to the Cardinals. Fans only hope his bat shown the same level of passion.
Nolan Arenado continues to scuffle
Any dreams of Arenado enjoying a comeback throughout the duration of his huge deal are quickly fading in what is the worst year of his borderline Hall of Fame career. Through 96 games, he’s batting.235 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI. His.366 slugging percentage and.660 are even more surprising. While Arenado’s defense remains good, it is unable to compensate for his poor attacking performance.
The question then becomes: Does St. Louis genuinely benefit by reintroducing the veteran third baseman into the lineup? Nolan Gorman is now filling the hot corner in Arenado’s absence, which could have an impact on the franchise in the future.
The 2018 first-round draft choice has exceptional power, but his lifetime batting average is.223. The Cards may want to see whether he can finally find some balance at the plate in his age-25 season.
Cardinals could have a dilemma on their hands
If Gorman can rise to the challenge, the organization’s long-term outlook on the roster may improve by 2026. Although St. Louis is set to pay Arenado $31 million over the next two seasons, he is unlikely to feature into the team’s future plans. Given that the Cardinals trail the New York Mets by five and a half games for the final NL playoff spot, they may have to choose between focusing toward 2026 and beyond or taking a chance on a late-season turnaround.
Many fans will argue that the former is more prudent, but a healthy Nolan Arenado may be able to make a significant difference in the final run.
Oli Marmol’s team is in the middle of a road series against the Marlins (lead 4-2 at press time), then travels to the Tampa Bay Rays before returning home to face the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates for four games.
If St. Louis can remedy its previous mistakes and capitalize on this advantageous stretch, it will have a great chance to take a significant stride ahead in a potentially crucial three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds (at Great American Ball Park). While there are a lot of “ifs” in this scenario, there is a somewhat apparent postseason path. Perhaps Arenado’s reliable glove, along with a potentially reinvigorated swing, will help the Cardinals get through it.
However, before that can happen, this team must win now. While the five-time Silver Slugger rests his shoulder, St. Louis is attempting to win consecutive games for the first time in more than a week.