Just one day after the MLB trade deadline passed without a move involving Nolan Arenado, the St. Louis Cardinals placed him on the 10-day injured list with a strained right shoulder, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
“One day after Cardinals 3B Nolan Arenado wasn't traded, he goes on the 10-day IL with strained right shoulder,” Nightengale reported on X (formerly Twitter).
The veteran third baseman had been battling shoulder discomfort since early July, attempting to manage the injury without a stint on the IL.
The decision comes after a prolonged slump at the plate for Arenado. In the month of July, he posted a .175/.230/.211 slash line, and over his last 12 games, his production dropped further to .159/.213/.205. During that span, he managed just two extra-base hits and one RBI.
Arenado hasn’t homered since June 21, and his season OPS has plummeted to .660. Despite his offensive struggles, he has remained a defensive asset, continuing to play elite third base and maintaining his status as a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner.
This is just the fourth time in Nolan Arenado’s 13-year big league career that he’s landed on the injured list, and only the second since he became a Cardinal. His most recent trip to the IL prior to this came at the end of the 2023 season, when he missed the final two weeks with back soreness.
The timing of the move is significant, as St. Louis sits 5.5 games behind in the National League Wild Card race. Since the All-Star break, the Cardinals have gone 3-9, with Arenado contributing a .159 average and .417 OPS over those 12 games. The team’s poor performance led to them becoming sellers at the trade deadline, moving bullpen arms Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton, and Steven Matz.
As a corresponding move, the Cardinals activated infielder Nolan Gorman from the 10-day IL. Gorman, recovering from back spasms, began a rehab assignment earlier in the week and homered in Double-A Springfield on Wednesday. He is expected to take over third base duties in Arenado’s absence.
To strengthen a depleted bullpen, St. Louis also recalled Ryan Fernandez, Roddery Muñoz, and Andre Granillo from Triple-A Memphis. Fernandez, who struggled earlier in the season with an 11.42 ERA over 11 major league appearances, has since bounced back in Memphis with a 3.12 ERA and a 12.72 K/9 ratio over 29 outings.
Now that the closer role is vacant, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak indicated that JoJo Romero is the leading candidate, while Riley O’Brien and Kyle Leahy are expected to see increased usage in late-inning roles.
The Cardinals will open a three-game set against the San Diego Padres on Friday night.
