St. Louis Cardinals: Kim’s injury hurts rotation depth
The St. Louis Cardinals starting rotation faced another Spring Training injury setback over the weekend. On Saturday, Kwang Hyun Kim experienced back stiffness in the middle of a bullpen session. Manager Mike Shildt told reporters that Kim will be shut down from throwing for at least a brief period of time.
Kim’s injury comes on the heels of news that Miles Mikolas won’t be ready for Opening Day after experiencing shoulder troubles early in camp. For a team already with questions surrounding the starting rotation, these two injuries are not welcome news for Cardinals’ fans.
Kwang Hyun Kim’s injury another blow to St. Louis Cardinals’ rotation
Kim joined the Cardinals last season after a 12-year run with the SK Wyverns of the KBO League. The 32-year-old began his MLB career as a closer but was quickly optioned to the starting rotation after St. Louis experienced a hard-hitting COVID-19 outbreak.
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He was rather brilliant last season after pitching to a 1.62 ERA in 39 innings, including seven starts, providing Cardinals management an easy decision to slot him back into the starting rotation this season.
The losses of Kim and Mikolas, even if only short stints, are a huge blow for the Cardinals starting rotation depth. It appears that neither injury will keep these arms on the shelf for extended periods of time, but with Opening Day around the corner, St. Louis will be down two important rotation pieces to kick off the 2021 campaign.
Jack Flaherty and Adam Wainwright remain the only two locks in St. Louis’ rotation behind Kim and Mikolas. Carlos Martinez, who struggled mightily with a velocity-dip last season, should also begin the season in the rotation. Management is hopeful for a bounce-back performance from the two-time All-Star.
Aside from the blockbuster Nolan Arenado deal, St. Louis was relatively quiet this offseason, especially in the pitching department. This leaves an opening for John Gant, Johan Oviedo, and Jake Woodford to earn time in the rotation. Still, this doesn’t leave St. Louis’ rotation as one of the more intimidating in baseball.
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The St. Louis Cardinals finished second in the NL West with a 30-28 last season, earning a spot in the expanded postseason bracket. Even with the Arenado addition, the recent PECOTA projections predict this team will finish outside of the playoffs with a .500 record.