The Cardinals announced today that right fielder Stephen Piscotty has been placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a hamstring strain that he suffered in last night’s game. Meanwhile, Fowler underwent an MRI last night following a shoulder strain that was suffered upon diving for a ball in center field (as manager Mike Matheny said after the game, via Joe Lyons of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
In obvious need of outfield help, the Cards recalled Tommy Pham from Triple-A Memphis, and he’ll be with the team for tonight’s game. If Fowler, too, requires some time away from the club, other outfield options in Triple-A include veteran Todd Cunningham and well-regarded prospect Harrison Bader.
Piscotty, 26, got off to a slow start this season but has come around of late and was hitting .241/.378/.380 through his first 98 plate appearances on the young season. The former first-round pick solidified himself as the Cardinals’ everyday right fielder with strong play between the 2015-16 campaigns — so much so that St. Louis inked him to a six-year, $33.5MM extension just one month ago. To this point, there’s no indication of how long Piscotty will be expected to miss, although last night the outfielder described his injury as “mild” in nature (via Lyons).
There’s perhaps some greater concern surrounding Fowler, however. Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch reports that the team felt last night that Fowler’s injury could be the more serious of the two. The team has yet to make an announcement on Fowler’s status. Fortunately for the Redbirds, both Pham and starting left fielder Randal Grichuk are capable of playing center field, so the team still has multiple options in center field should Fowler require an absence of some degree.
The loss of two starting outfielders in a single game is a nightmare situation for any team, but the injuries are particularly troubling for a Cardinals club that ranks just 24th in the Majors with 110 runs scored. As a team, St. Louis has batted .254/.329/.411 (translating to a 96 wRC+ that is tied for 16th in baseball).
Brutal. Cub fan but hate to see injuries. 2 great players
Great might be a reach..
They’re two players who are crucial to the Cardinals’ chances this season. So yeah, losing 2 starting OFers (and 2 of the team’s better hitters) for any extended period of time is pretty tough.
He questioned them being great not about anything else!
great is highly overused
Good and very good but not great!
I’d use the word great.
“Good,” “very good” or “great” doesn’t matter as much as “brutal” and/or “crucial.” There really aren’t many MLB teams who can afford to lose two-thirds of their starting outfield in a single game…
this could be a blessing in the skies for the cardinals
A blessing in the skies?
yep
The skies are the disguise…
Username checks out
i planned it that way
I understand. It’s like Lucy in the Skies on a Diamond.
It’s in disguise
cloudy?
think about it. where do blessings come from?
I want Lord Bader!
Fowler’s MRI came back clean, could PH as early as tonight.