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The St. Louis Cardinals (47-42) have yet to win in July and their hopes of doing so on Saturday may have just taken a hit. Nolan Arenado has been scratched from the lineup ahead of the the Redbirds' road matchup versus the Chicago Cubs, as he nurses a right shoulder impingement, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The team is listing the 10-time Gold Glove-winning third baseman as day to day.
Arenado missed two games versus the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier in the week after jamming his index finger against the Cleveland Guardians. He was 0-for-3 in Friday's 11-3 loss to the Cubs, a home run bonanza that left the Cards powerless on the Fourth of July. Hopefully, he will return to action for Sunday's series finale. The shoulder is a tricky issue for a hitter, however, so manager Oliver Marmol and company will have to reassess the situation.
Can Nolan Arenado bounce back for Cardinals?
Besides the negative effect it can obviously have on the Cardinals' competitive standing, another injury setback could also complicate any potential trade talks ahead of MLB's July 31 deadline. Arenado is already 34 years old, will make 31 million across the 2026 and 2027 seasons and is once again struggling at the dish — batting .244 with 10 home runs, a .304 on-base percentage, .391 slugging percentage and .694 OPS.
Adding a banged-up body to that murky mix may decisively deter possible suitors. Of course, the Cards may prefer to just keep a healthy and productive Nolan Arenado for the remainder of the campaign. They attempted to get a deal done with the Houston Astros before the eight-time All-Star exercised his no-trade clause during the offseason, and with his value seemingly declining further, management finds itself in a tough spot.
Arenado still offers plenty at the hot corner, once again posting positive defensive metrics, and he has actually improved in some key areas offensively. The 2009 second-round draft pick is striking out only 10.1 percent of the time and has lowered his ground ball rate by three percent. Maybe if he can get healthy, the veteran can enjoy a welcome turnaround in the second half of the 2025 season. The All-Star break, which commences next week, should prove beneficial.
St. Louis is hoping Arenado will be able to produce before then, though, as the team earnestly tries to end its four-game skid. Stay tuned for more updates regarding the five-time Silver Slugger's shoulder issue.
