The St. Louis Cardinals have been without Tommy Edman all season, and just got another concerning injury update regarding his rehab and potential return to the big league club.

Edman, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right wrist in October, still has yet to debut for the Cardinals this season. There was some hope that he would be able to debut soon, but he suffered another injury, this time spraining his ankle, during a rehab assignment in June.

The plan for Edman was to continue rehabbing through the All-Star break to try and debut as soon as possible, that didn't end up happening. Edman was shut down from all rehab activities during the break due to lingering pain in his sprained ankle, and received a pain-killing injection, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol told MLB.com's John Denton.

Marmol and the Cardinals hope that Edman will be able to play in a rehab game on Tuesday.

Tommy Edman dealt another injury blow

St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Tommy Edman (19) throws to first to get Cincinnati Reds third baseman Noelvi Marte (not pictured) out in the seventh inning at Great American Ball Park.
© Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Before the season, the Cardinals were anticipating that Edman would be their opening day center fielder. However, Edman's rehab took significantly longer than expected. He kept suffering setbacks while recovering from his October wrist surgery. Whether it was being shut down from baseball activities during spring training or the unrelated ankle injury, it seems that Edman and the Cardinals just can't catch a break.

Edman's defensive versatility makes him one of the Cardinals' most valuable players. He won a Gold Glove at second base in 2021 and was the utility Gold Glove finalist in 2022 and 2023. Michael Siani and Dylan Carlson have held down center field, where Edman was projected to get the majority of his playing time this season. in his absence. Edman would be a significant upgrade at that position for the Cardinals, who are in the thick of the hyper-competitive National League Wild Card race.

The Cardinals currently have the second NL Wild Card spot, but are nowhere near safe. They are just one game ahead of the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks who are tied for the third spot, a half-game ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates one game ahead of the San Diego Padres, three games ahead of the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds and 3.5 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs.

Edman would immediately be an improvement, both offensively and defensively, in center field and give the Cardinals lineup even more flexibility down the stretch.

If he is able to play in the rehab game on Tuesday, Edman could finally be making his season debut sooner rather than later.