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Jordan Montgomery Leaves Game Due To Hamstring Injury

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Cardinals left-hander Jordan Montgomery was forced to leave yesterday’s game after 4 1/3 innings due to a right hamstring injury.  The problem arose on the 65th of Montgomery’s 66 pitches, as “I just kind of slipped on the mound and I guess my body tried to catch myself,” the southpaw told reporters, including Lynn Worthy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  After making one more pitch as something of a test, Montgomery left the mound.

More will be known about Montgomery’s status after he undergoes testing, and with the All-Star break looming, Montgomery could have as many as nine days of rest before his next start.  That would essentially serve as a skipped start without technically missing any action, allowing Montgomery some extra recovery time with the possibility of avoiding the injured list together.  If a 15-day IL stint is deemed necessary, the All-Star break still helps limit the time lost, as Montgomery would miss two starts if he is able to return in a minimal amount of time.

Of course, there is another prominent timing issue at play in the form of the August 1 trade deadline.  With the Cardinals floundering to a 36-52 record, it is looking increasingly likely that St. Louis will be sellers in some regard on deadline day.  MLBTR recently ranked Montgomery and fellow St. Louis starter Jack Flaherty fourth and fifth on our list of the top 50 deadline trade candidates, as both are set for free agency this winter.  Montgomery is the more valuable of the two since he is having a much more consistent season than Flaherty, yet this hamstring injury could obviously change the equation significantly.

Over 18 starts and 103 innings, Montgomery has a 3.23 ERA and a solid 6.3% walk rate.  His SIERA is a less impressive 4.04 and his Statcast metrics are more middling than good, but the lefty has been trending upwards, with a 1.70 ERA over his last 47 2/3 innings.  Montgomery has posted generally solid numbers over his seven MLB seasons and he has already been part of a headline-grabbing deadline trade.  It was just last August that the Yankees sent Montgomery to St. Louis in a one-for-one swap for Harrison Bader.

Montgomery’s 2023 trade value is already somewhat limited since he’s a rental player, and naturally a serious injury would likely prevent St. Louis from dealing him whatsoever.  A more nebulous recovery timeframe wouldn’t necessarily preclude a trade — for instance, if Montgomery does hit the IL and is projected to miss a month of time, a team might still be willing to roll the dice on a trade if they would still get Montgomery in the rotation by early August.

That said, the Cardinals will issue Montgomery a qualifying offer this winter, and in the very likely circumstance that Montgomery rejects the QO, St. Louis would get a compensatory draft pick if he signed elsewhere.  As such, the Cards aren’t likely to trade the left-hander unless they get an offer they believe is superior to the value of a compensatory pick, and if offers are diminished in the event of a Montgomery injury, the Cardinals might prefer to just keep him.

An ill-timed injury to a premium trade chip might be just another setback in what has been an increasingly nightmarish season for the Cardinals.  The perennial contenders are on pace for their worst season in over a century, leaving the Cards in the unexpected position of having to gauge just how big of a retool is needed at the deadline.  President of baseball operations John Mozeliak has already ruled out a full rebuild, but “some changes” are certainly coming as the Cardinals try to get back on track for 2024.

Cardinals Promote José Fermín, Place Tommy Edman On IL

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1:00pm: Fermín has been officially recalled with Edman placed on the 10-day IL in a corresponding move due to right wrist inflammation. It’s unclear how long Edman is expected to be out but next week’s All-Star break could mean he only misses a handful of games.

9:13am: Infielder José Fermín is expected to join the Cardinals in Chicago ahead of their series against the White Sox this weekend, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Fermín is already on the 40-man roster but will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game.

Now 24, Fermín was an international signing of the Guardians but came over to the Cardinals in November. The Guards had a roster crunch prior to the Rule 5 draft last year and made a few trades that month, sending Nolan Jones to the Rockies, Carlos Vargas to the Diamondbacks and Fermín to the Cards.

Fermín’s reputation as a prospect is generally one of a high-contact, low-power infielder. He’s only struck out in 10.7% of his minor league plate appearances, a rate less than half of the 22.7% major league average here in 2023. But he’s also only hit 24 home runs in his 1,758 trips to the plate. He’s generally considered a strong enough defender to play shortstop while also spending some time at second and third base.

Coming into this season, Fermin would have competed for a bench spot for the Cards but he suffered a strained quadriceps during Spring Training and was shut down, eliminating his chances of cracking the Opening Day roster. He didn’t get into a minor league game until early June and has only suited up for 17 contests so far this year, hitting .180/.296/.328 in that small sample.

The Cardinals are known to value versatility in their players and are likely attracted to his ability to provide quality defense at multiple infield positions, especially since the club has been dealing with a few injuries related to their infield depth of late. Tommy Edman has been dealing with wrist soreness lately and though an MRI showed no structural damage, per Goold, Edman didn’t start the past two games. Brendan Donovan also missed some time recently with arm soreness and has been serving as the designated hitter since then. Both of those players have been bumped to the outfield as Paul DeJong and Nolan Gorman handle the middle infield most days, but their nagging injuries could be enough to compel the Cards to add another bench player with some infield capabilities. The corresponding move will perhaps shed some more light on the situation later today.

Cardinals Select Kyle Leahy

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The Cardinals announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Kyle Leahy, with left-hander Matthew Liberatore optioned in a corresponding move. The club already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster after outfielder Óscar Mercado was designated for assignment earlier in the week.

Leahy, 26, cracks a big league roster for the first time and will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. The righty was selected in the 17th round of the 2018 draft and worked primarily as a starter in the earlier portions of his professional career but has transitioned into more of a relief role of late.

He’s spent all of this year in Triple-A, tossing 51 innings over 28 outings, three of those being starts. He has a 4.06 ERA in that time, striking out 22.1% of batters faced against a 10% walk rate. He’ll now get to try his hand at getting outs at the major league level.

The option of Liberatore seems to open the door for lefty Steven Matz to return to the rotation, a possibility that was recently covered by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Matz had a rotation spot to begin the year but posted a 5.72 ERA through 10 starts and got moved to the bullpen. Since making the switch, he has a 2.81 ERA while Liberatore has posted a 6.75 for the year.

The Cards signed Matz to a four-year, $44MM deal going into 2022 but haven’t received much return on that investment yet. A shoulder impingement and a torn left MCL limited him to just 48 innings last year with a 5.25 ERA, which was followed by the aforementioned rough start here in 2023. But his recent work has been encouraging enough to get him back into the rotation.

The Cards have very little rotation certainty going forward as Adam Wainwright is set to retire after this year while each of Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty are impending free agents. That leaves Miles Mikolas and Matz as the core of next year’s rotation, with depth options like Liberatore and Dakota Hudson potentially in the mix. The club will undoubtedly pursue pitching at this year’s trade deadline and in the upcoming offseason but it would be a big help to them if Matz could get back on track in the second half of this year, with two seasons still remaining on that deal.

Oscar Mercado Elects Free Agency

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The Cardinals announced Wednesday that outfielder Oscar Mercado, who was designated for assignment last week, has cleared outright waivers and elected free agency rather than accept a minor league assignment. He’s now free to sign with any club.

Mercado, 28, appeared in 20 games with the Cards this year and tallied 32 plate appearances, batting .290/.313/.387 in that brief look. He’s shown a similar contact-oriented, low-power approach in 145 Triple-A plate appearances this season, batting .278/.361/.421 with two homers, a dozen doubles and a 15-for-18 showing in stolen bases.

Mercado had a nice rookie season in Cleveland back in 2019, batting .269/.318/.443 with 15 homers, 25 doubles, a trio of triples and 15 steals in 115 games and 482 plate appearances. His production dissipated in 2020, however, and he’s never rediscovered his stroke. In 491 big league plate appearances since his rookie season, Mercado is a .206/.262/.334 hitter.

Though he hasn’t had much success since ’19, Mercado is a 28-year-old with a lower-than-average strikeout rate and ample experience at all three outfield positions. He’s also generally been good for average or better overall production in Triple-A, hitting .271/.354/.415 there in parts of five seasons. A club looking for some versatile outfield depth and/or a right-handed bat with a decent track record against left-handed pitching could give Mercado a look on a minor league pact.

Cardinals Announce Several Roster Moves

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The Cardinals announced Wednesday that they’ve placed right-hander Adam Wainwright and catcher Andrew Knizner on the injured list and optioned righty James Naile to Triple-A Memphis. Wainwright lands on the 15-day IL due to a shoulder strain — as manager Oli Marmol indicated last night — while Knizner heads to the 10-day IL after taking a foul ball to the groin in last night’s game. In a series of corresponding moves, St. Louis recalled catcher Ivan Herrera, righty Dakota Hudson and lefty Zack Thompson from Memphis.

Wainwright, 41, has had a disastrous start to the final season of an otherwise exceptional career. Through his first 11 starts, he’s been clobbered for a 7.66 ERA in 51 1/3 frames, with a career-worst 11% strikeout rate, a career-low 86.3 mph average fastball velocity, a career-high 1.74 HR/9 mark and a 7.5% walk rate that registers as his highest level since 2019.

Those struggles notwithstanding, Wainwright emphasized to reporters that he believes he’ll pitch again this season and that he has more left in the tank (link via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). However, after declaring his plan to return this season, Wainwright also candidly acknowledged that he simply isn’t healthy enough to pitch up to expectations right now.

“I’ve come back from much worse, much worse — but it is impacting my stuff,” Wainwright told the Cardinals beat (via Goold). “…There’s no denying it. Can’t hide it. I can talk myself into anything. I’ve done that a lot. I’ve made a career out of it. Right now, it’s not fair for me to put the team in that spot.”

Knizner, 28, was down for a spell after the unfortunately placed foul-tip last night but initially remained in the game. He eventually was pulled from the contest and transported to a local emergency room for further evaluation, He was eventually released last night, per Goold, and the team will likely provide an update with additional details on his status later today.

In 35 games and 115 plate appearances this year, Knizner has served as the primary backup to Willson Contreras. He’s shown some pop, already swatting a career-high five homers while turning in a career-best .191 ISO (slugging minus batting average). However, Knizner is hitting .227/.254/.418 on the whole, and he’s seen both his walk and strikeout rates (3.5% and 28.7%, respectively), careen in the wrong direction this year.

Herrera, 23, has more than earned a look in the big leagues, slashing .308/.432/.557 in 227 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. A well-regarded catching prospect, he was long expected to be Yadier Molina’s heir in St. Louis before the Cards bucked expectations and signed Contreras to a five-year contract this past offseason.

Hudson, 28, lost his rotation spot late last year and hasn’t won it back in 2023 despite considerable problems on the Cardinals’ starting staff. The sinker specialist has started 11 games in Memphis but is sitting on a 6.00 ERA through just 48 innings. His ground-ball rate is a strong 53.7%, and his 7.5% walk rate is also better than average, but Hudson’s 17.3% strikeout rate is below average. A .416 average on balls in play points to some rotten luck, but such issues are only magnified when a pitcher can’t miss bats at even an average level.

NL Notes: Wainwright, Syndergaard, Chisholm

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The Cardinals put veteran right-hander Adam Wainwright on the 15-day injured list today, with manager Oli Marmol citing “a variety of limitations” to reporters (including The Athletic’s Katie Woo) regarding the reason for Wainwright’s placement on the shelf. Woo added that the official designation for Wainwright’s IL stint was shoulder inflammation, while MLB.com’s John Denton noted that Wainwright made clear that he intends to return before the end of the season.

Wainwright, 41, is currently in the midst of his twentieth season as a member of the Cardinals organization and his eighteenth pitching for the big league club. After posting the numbers of a solid middle of the rotation starter over the past few seasons, with a 3.57 ERA and 3.90 FIP in 635 1/3 innings since the start of the 2019 campaign, the wheels have fallen off for the veteran hurler in 2023. Through ten starts this season, Wainwright has posted a ghastly 7.45 ERA that’s 41% worse than league average by measure of ERA+ with a 5.47 FIP. His strikeout rate has dropped from 17.8% last season to a measly 10.7% figure this season, a figure that’s actually lower than his sky-high barrel rate of 10.9%.

With Wainwright headed to the IL, the Cardinals figure to look toward one of Steven Matz or Dakota Hudson to join the starting rotation in Wainwright’s stead. Matz has struggled to a 5.72 ERA in ten starts this season, but has shown signs of life since moving to the bullpen with an excellent 1.98 ERA in 13 2/3 innings of work as a multi-inning relief arm. Hudson, meanwhile, has spent most of the 2023 campaign in the minors with an unsightly 6.00 ERA in 48 Triple-A innings, but the righty impressed with 2 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen recently, a performance that could earn Hudson another look on the major league pitching staff.

More from the National League…

  • Dodgers right-hander Noah Syndergaard could return in the near future, as manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Jack Harris of the LA Times) that Syndergaard is scheduled to throw live batting practice later this week and that, if it goes well, he could advance to a rehab assignment shortly thereafter. Syndergaard struggled mightily to a 7.12 ERA with a 5.55 FIP across 12 starts prior to his placement on the injured list a month ago. Despite those ugly numbers, if Syndergaard has managed to get right during his time on the shelf, he could be an asset to a Dodgers rotation that recently saw Clayton Kershaw head to the IL and Dustin May’s season end with an impending elbow surgery.
  • Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. went on the injured list yesterday with a left oblique strain just a week after returning from a six week IL stint due to turf toe. Fortunately for Miami the young outfielder, Chisholm’s MRI results came back today and showed only a mild strain, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. That’s excellent news, as mild strains can often be resolved fairly quickly. Chisholm will have the upcoming All Star break to rest and rehab and while no timetable for his return has been announced, it’s possible the 25 year old could return to big league action shortly thereafter.

Cardinals Designate Óscar Mercado For Assignment

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The Cardinals announced that they have recalled first baseman Luken Baker from Triple-A Memphis, with outfielder Óscar Mercado designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Mercado, 28, was signed by the Cardinals to a minor league deal in the winter and was called up to the big league club in mid-May. He’s been serving a part-time role since then, often as a defensive replacement or pinch runner off the bench. He’s appeared in 20 contests, only seven starts, and taken just 32 trips to the plate.

He hit a solid .290/.313/.387 in those but has had a hard time carving out a larger role on a club loaded with viable outfielders. Paul DeJong and Nolan Gorman have been spending a lot of time in the middle infield lately, pushing Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan into spending more time on the grass alongside regular outfielders like Jordan Walker, Lars Nootbaar, Dylan Carlson and Alec Burleson. On top of that, Tyler O’Neill is working his way towards a rehab assignment.

With all of those moving parts, Mercado has only taken two trips to the plate in the past two weeks and is now off the roster. He once seemed like he was carving out a regular role in the big leagues, as he hit 15 home runs with Cleveland in 2019 and slashed .269/.318/.443 overall while stealing 15 bases. When combined with his above-average center field defense, he was able to provide 2.2 wins above replacement that year, per the calculations of FanGraphs. But he fell off in subsequent seasons, hitting just .200/.258/.330 from 2020 to 2022.

The Cards will now have one week to trade him or pass him through waivers, though he’d have the right to elect free agency in the latter scenario. He has a previous career outright, which will allow him to reject another such assignment in favor of the open market.

NL Notes: Goldschmidt, Reynolds, Painter, Suarez

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The Cardinals have been among the most disappointing teams in the league this season. Despite coming into the season as the shoo-in favorite for the NL Central crown, St. Louis sports just a 34-48 record and is in fifth place in the NL Central, 9.5 games out of a playoff spot. That rough first half to the 2023 campaign led president of baseball operations John Mozeliak to admit that “some changes” were on the horizon for the Cardinals late last month, even as he pushed back against the idea of the club entering a full rebuild.

The Athletic’s Katie Woo expanded upon those comments today, suggesting that the Cardinals are likely to make most of their position player group available in trade talks as they look to retool the team, though she highlights Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Lars Nootbaar, and Jordan Walker as players who aren’t expected to be moved. Woo places the most emphasis on first baseman Paul Goldschmidt as a player who’s off-limits in trade as the deadline approaches.

The 35-year-old first baseman has posted another solid season for the Cardinals on the heels of his 2022 MVP campaign, slashing .289/.379/.498 in 359 plate appearances this season. A free agent after the 2024 campaign, speculation has swirled that the club might consider offers on Goldschmidt ahead of the trade deadline this year. Woo pushes back strongly against those rumors, arguing that a two-year extension this offseason is the “most likely scenario” regarding Goldschmidt. Such a deal would figure to take the veteran slugger through the end of his age-38 season in a Cardinals uniform.

More from around the National League…

  • The Pirates welcomed outfielder Bryan Reynolds back from the injured list today, per a club announcement. Pittsburgh’s star was on the shelf with a low back strain for just slightly over the minimum 10 days required, but the club struggled while Reynolds was away. Since Reynolds last appeared in a game on June 19, the club has gone 5-6 including key losses to division rivals in Chicago and Milwaukee. Reynolds, who’s slashing .279/.350/.473 in 294 plate appearances this season, will look to spark his club as they head into the All Star break with tough matchups against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. In recent days, outfielder Josh Palacios has filled in for Reynolds in the outfield alongside Henry Davis and Jack Suwinski.
  • Phillies managed Rob Thomson tells reporters, including Destiny Lugardo of Phillies Nation, that top prospect Andrew Painter is set to face live hitters on Tuesday for the first time since he was shut down during Spring Training with a UCL sprain. In even more encouraging news, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com adds that Painter is not only expected to pitch competitively at some point this summer, but could make his big league debut sometime this season. That’s surely a relief for Phillies fans, given Painter appeared poised to slot into the club’s Opening Day rotation prior to his injury during the spring as baseball’s consensus top pitching prospect.
  • Padres reliever Robert Suarez is making progress in his return to a big league mound, beginning a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League as noted by Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Suarez has been on the 60-day IL all season dealing with an elbow injury, but was a key piece of the San Diego bullpen last season with a 2.27 ERA in 47 2/3 innings of work. Sanders adds that Suarez is expected back sometime after the All Star break. Upon his return, Suarez figures to bolster a bullpen that ranks bottom ten in the majors with a 4.26 FIP.

MLB Announces 2023 All-Star Starters

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Major League Baseball announced the starting lineups for the 2023 All-Star Game this evening. This year’s All-Star Game will take place at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park on July 11. The starting pitchers and reserves will be announced at a later date.

American League

National League

* Currently on injured list with sprained toe

Packy Naughton Undergoes Flexor Tendon Surgery

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Cardinals left-hander Packy Naughton underwent surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his left elbow, reports Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, but his ulnar collateral ligament did not require repair.

It was reported last week that Naughton would require season-ending surgery of some kind, though the exact nature of the procedure wasn’t known. The fact that the lefty’s UCL didn’t need any work is surely a silver lining in this challenging process.

Despite that small bit of good news, Naughton is likely still looking at a long road back to the mound, as flexor tendon surgery can also lead to extended absences. For instance, Matthew Boyd required the procedure in late September of 2021 and he got back to the big leagues in early September of 2022, missing almost a year. Tarik Skubal went under the knife in August of last year and is currently on a rehab assignment more than 10 months later. Each person and injury is different but it seems likely that Naughton will miss part of the 2024 campaign, in addition to missing the remainder of 2023.

Last year was his first with St. Louis and he posted a 4.78 ERA in 32 innings, but with strong peripherals. He struck out 22% of opponents while walking just 5% and getting grounders on 49.5% of balls in play. He started 2023 with five scoreless innings before landing on the injured list and that will now be the totality of his work for the year. He’s already on the 60-day injured list and will stay there for the rest of the year, though he’ll need to be added back to the roster in the offseason.

Turning to another injured Cardinal, Tyler O’Neill is back to baseball activity, per Jones. The outfielder is hoping to be heading out on a rehab assignment next week. He’s been on the shelf since May 5 due to a lower back strain.

The return of O’Neill will make for an interesting storyline with just over a month to go until the August 1 trade deadline. The Cardinals have had a disappointing season so far and are currently 33-45, placing them eight games back of the Reds in the National League Central and even further out in the Wild Card race. Though a hot streak in the next few weeks could get them right back into the mix, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak recently admitted that they may have to make some tough decisions this summer.

O’Neill will be returning to a crowded outfield picture. Tommy Edman started the year at shortstop but a resurgent Paul DeJong has bumped him to center field, where he has carried himself well. Through 189 1/3 innings in center so far this year, he has two Outs Above Average and a grade of 1.1 from Ultimate Zone Rating, while Defensive Runs Saved considers him exactly league average. His .238/.308/.403 batting line on the year is slightly below par, translating to a wRC+ of 96, but he’s still plenty valuable due to his defense, versatility and baserunning.

Similarly, the ascendance of Nolan Gorman at second base has often pushed Brendan Donovan into left field this year. Donovan has been producing roughly league average defense while hitting .269/.362/.384 for a wRC+ of 111. Then there’s Lars Nootbaar, who’s hitting .262/.368/.378 for a wRC+ of 111 while playing the corners. Rookie Jordan Walker is hitting .303/.369/.472 for a wRC+ of 135, slotting in as the designated hitter regularly but also taking a corner outfield spot at times. Dylan Carlson is also in the mix, hitting .248/.327/.404 for a wRC+ of 105. Alec Burleson and Óscar Mercado are also on the roster but neither has been able to get much playing time of late.

Even without O’Neill, the club is juggling plenty of different options and it won’t clear up any time soon as all of those players are still under control for 2024. The club has a $12.5MM option for DeJong’s services in 2024, with a $2MM buyout, that once seemed sure to be bought out but he might be playing his way into that getting picked up. He’s still providing strong shortstop defense while hitting .234/.297/.467 for a 109 wRC+. Even if DeJong isn’t there next year, shortstop prospect Masyn Winn is in Triple-A and will need a major league audition soon.

O’Neill can be retained for 2024 as well, though that would be his final arbitration year before qualifying for free agency. That perhaps makes him the most logical trade candidate of the bunch. Given the overcrowded roster in St. Louis and the fact that he and manager Oli Marmol got in a public argument earlier this year, perhaps O’Neill will be reading his name in trade rumors in the next few weeks.

He’s making $4.95MM this year and would be in line for a raise next year. It would likely be a modest bump given his missed time and the fact that he’s hit just .228/.283/.337 on the season so far, 73 wRC+. Nonetheless, he’d be an intriguing buy-low candidate for other clubs. In 2021, he hit 34 home runs and slashed .286/.352/.560 for a 144 wRC+. He also stole 15 bases and was graded well in the outfield, leading to a tally of 5.6 wins above replacement from FanGraphs. His production has dipped in the past couple of seasons while dealing with injuries, but there should still be some trade value there.

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