Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images
Just minutes before first pitch on Wednesday afternoon, the St. Louis Cardinals (19-19) yanked Nolan Arenado from the starting lineup. The reported reason behind his exclusion is back soreness. It was a sudden blow to a lineup already searching for consistency, and another reminder that Arenado, 34, is no longer the ironman third baseman the Cardinals hoped they were getting.
The official line is that Arenado is day to day, and the team insists he’ll still make the trip for the upcoming nine-game swing through Washington, Philadelphia, and Kansas City. But the timing of this flare-up couldn’t be more frustrating. He had played in 34 of the Cardinals’ previous 37 games, including both ends of a doubleheader over the weekend and back-to-back starts Monday and Tuesday.
Nolan Gorman was plugged in as a late replacement and did his job, he reached base twice in his first two plate appearances, drawing a walk and roping a single to right. It was more production than the Cards have seen lately from Arenado, who’s been scuffling at the plate. Over his last seven games, he’s 7-for-27 (.259) with zero extra-base hits.
And while the Cardinals can point to his solid-if-unspectacular .256 average with three home runs and 14 RBIs on the season, it’s hard to ignore how flat his bat has looked. His only real highlight so far has been the walk-off homer back on April 26 against the Brewers, the sixth of his career, and the lone flash of power in an otherwise lukewarm campaign.
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The back flare-up, meanwhile, came just in time to avoid Mitch Keller, a pitcher who’s made Arenado look completely lost over the years. He’s hitting just .148 (4-for-27) with four strikeouts lifetime against Keller. The Cardinals have Thursday off before heading to D.C. to open their road trip. Arenado is expected to be there. The bigger question is whether he’ll be ready to do more than just watch from the bench.