The St. Louis Cardinals‘ injury issues continue as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sunday morning that rookie sensation JJ Wetherholt will miss time. The Cardinals’ second baseman is in the heart of a race for National League Rookie of the Year, but now he has been placed on the injured list with inflammation in his right wrist.
St. Louis Cardinals Injury Troubles
The Cardinals avoided injuries with the majority of their everyday players this year, but in the last two weeks, the injuries have piled up. Last Tuesday, the Cardinals placed Masyn Winn on the injured list. Wetherholt was playing shortstop for St. Louis while Winn recovers, but now it will be Thomas Saggese for the series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Back on Thursday, the Cardinals lost Blaze Jordan to injury, so in the last six days St. Louis has lost their all but one starter on the infield. St. Louis, who enters play Sunday 4.5 games out of the playoffs, is going through a rough patch of injuries at the most inconvenient time.
Not only have the Cardinals lost infielders, but recent pickup outfielder Everson Pereira is on the injured list with a left-hand contusion. Pile that up with the first injuries to starters since 2024, with Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins going down on the same day. St. Louis had to utilize a bullpen game in the series finale with the Baltimore Orioles due to injuries to their starters.
The good news is that Winn and Pallante are expected to return on Sep. 1, and Wetherholt was placed on the 10-day injured list, possibly making his absence a short one.
JJ Wetherholt Rookie Of The Year
Wetherholt was the frontrunner for National League Rookie of the Year, and in a tight race with Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds and Carson Benge of the New York Mets. This injury could spell the end of Wetherholt’s hopes, but the numbers are still in his favor, not too far off offensively from Stewart in park-adjusted metrics and the favorite to win the Gold Glove at Second Base.
Wetherholt’s stint could be a short one, but when he returns, he will have work to do to hold off the other contenders. Upon return, his bat will need to catch fire to vault himself back into the lead, which is no easy task, but there have been stretches this season where the Cardinals lead-off man was impeccable at the plate.
The injury bug is a cruel way to end an outstanding campaign for Wetherholt. Even if he were to lose the award because of injury, Cardinals fans should be ecstatic knowing that he is around for the long haul.
Cardinals Rookie Sensation JJ Wetherholt Placed On Injured List