St. Louis Cardinals: Injuries may have them on pitching tightrope early

The St. Louis Cardinals are already dealing with their share of injuries on the mound early in spring training, and those injuries could have the Cardinals shuffling some of their pitching plans once Opening Day arrives.

Could the St. Louis Cardinals face some early trouble because of pitching injuries?

As we discussed earlier in spring training in this article, Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty has been dealing with a right shoulder issue early in camp. After some clarification on the issue this weekend, we now know that Flaherty has been pitching through a slight tear in his right labrum for “a handful of years.” However, the discomfort he felt earlier in spring training was “different” and he is expected to not throw for another two weeks, then begin to ramp up his program in an effort to return to the rotation. He will begin the season on the injured list.

Despite this, the Cardinals are not expected to make any more deals for a starting pitcher this offseason, meaning St. Louis will rely on the arms they have in house to make up for Flaherty’s absence, which they hope will be short-lived.

It’s a risk the Cardinals are taking on a number of levels. St. Louis is banking on the hope that Flaherty will be able to join the team again early in the season and eat innings, as well as that the other starting pitchers (including Miles Mikolas and Dakota Hudson, who have battled extensive injuries in the past) will be able to not only perform, but stay healthy as well.

While St. Louis is dealing with an issue near the front of their rotation, the Cardinals also have an injury concern at the back as well with Alex Reyes. The 27-year-old right-hander who saw action in 69 games last season and earned 29 saves may miss the first two months of the season with a frayed right labrum.

That’s a concern for the Cardinals, but there are options who could likely step in, including Jordan Hicks, who is coming back from an elbow injury and will be capped at 50 pitches in spring training to see how he responds. While reportedly trying to stretch him out for the rotation, Hicks could well start the season in the bullpen and provide a boost.

Also, the Cardinals have Giovanny Gallegos, who earned 14 saves last season while posting a 0.884 WHIP, a 3.02 ERA, 2.75 FIP, 129 ERA+, and 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings in 80.1 innings of work last season. Look for him to have a bigger role in the opening weeks of the season in the back end of the game.

The St. Louis Cardinals will likely have to do some shuffling early in the season to accommodate for injuries to Flaherty and Reyes. However, if they can avoid further injuries and find other pitchers who can shoulder the load in their absences, they may be able to survive a walk on the early-season tightrope.