These six Cardinals will start the 2024 season on the injured list

LOS ANGELES – Six players who had a chance to make the St. Louis Cardinals’ Opening Day roster will instead begin the season on the injured list.

The injury bug bit three pitchers and three position players (coincidentally all outfielders) ahead of the 2024 campaign. Some are hopeful for quick recoveries. For others, their paths to return are a bit uncertain.

Here’s a brief breakdown of which Cardinals will begin the 2024 season on the IL…

Sonny Gray

Sonny Gray suffered a right hamstring strain during a March 4 spring start and hasn’t returned to game action since then. His recovery seems to be on track with a three-to-eight week timetable that the Cardinals originally offered.

Gray, last year’s American League Cy Young runner-up, is scheduled to pitch a minor-league game Thursday and likely one more in extended spring camp. If all goes well, the Cardinals could activate him by the second week of April, meaning he would likely miss just two starts in the rotation.

Lars Nootbaar

Lars Nootbaar suffered two fractures in his ribs after chasing and twisting a fly ball on March 2. It led to lingering soreness that led to the team shutting him down for several weeks. The Cardinals initially hoped Nootbaar would be ready for Opening Day, but he appears slightly behind in his timetable for recovery.

Nootbaar, who likely would’ve begun the season as the Cardinals’ starting left fielder, took soft-toss swings on Sunday and Monday. He had engaged in several rotational exercises in recent weeks, but he has not seen game action in almost a month. A best-case scenario would be a return right around the Cardinals’ April 4 home opener.

Tommy Edman

Tommy Edman perhaps faces the most arduous road to recovery of anyone on this list. Capable of playing several positions and initially expected to cover centerfield, Edman was unable to play in any spring games after offseason wrist surgery. He’s been shut down from baseball activities for much of this spring’s stint in Jupiter.

The Cardinals recently cleared Edman to engage in some defensive drills in throwing, but he will remain shut down from hitting for at least another week. The Cardinals have not really offered a concrete timetable on his return in recent weeks. He will need some time to get up to speed on big league hitting. Early-May seems optimistic for a potential Edman return.

Dylan Carlson

Dylan Carlson suffered a sprained AC joint to his left shoulder in Monday’s exhibition game to the Chicago Cubs. He had a strong spring (.271 AVG, 13 RBI) and was setting himself up for the starting centerfield job until an abrupt collision with teammate Jordan Walker while chasing a fly ball.

Carlson is expected to miss “weeks,” but not “months,” according to an update Tuesday from Cardinals manager Oli Marmol. St. Louis promoted Victor Scott in his absence. Carlson likely falls somewhere between Nootbaar’s and Edman’s recovery windows.

Keynan Middleton

Keynan Middleton suffered a right forearm strain sometime in March during undisclosed matters. A new addition projected for the Cardinals bullpen, Middleton pitched three scoreless innings in spring training prior to then. Sometime after he returned from an out-of-state trip to coach a state high school basketball game in mid-March, that’s when the Cardinals learned of his injury.

The Cardinals have shut down Middleton for roughly two weeks. His timetable to return is a bit unclear, but medical experts say that forearm strains can take anywhere from two-to-six weeks to fully heal.

Drew Rom

Drew Rom has dealt with a left biceps issue and a left forearm strain over the last few weeks and hasn’t pitched in a spring game since March 15. He was shut down from throwing on March 21, but could be cleared to throw again later this week.

Rom was likely a long shot to make the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster, but earned some MLB experience at the end of last season. His timetable for recovery remains unclear. His season will likely begin in Triple-A Memphis once he’s ready to pitch again.

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