As the St. Louis Cardinals continue to position themselves as playoff contenders, they should consider temporarily shutting down one of their star players. Nolan Arenado is banged up and playing through pain. He’s having one of the worst seasons in his career. They will likely need him healthy and performing if the Cardinals want to make a postseason run.
Cardinals Should Consider Temporarily Shutting Down Star Infielder
Nolan Playing Through Pain
On June 19 in Miami, Arenado was hit by a pitch on his right elbow. It was a scary moment, and he immediately went down holding his elbow. Arenado avoided a break, but the injury impacted the nerves in his hand.
Meanwhile, in Miami…
Nolan Arenado exits the game after taking a 94.6 mph sinker off the elbow in the eighth.
*Marlins would eventually walk-off the Cardinals an inning later.
pic.twitter.com/zunnwPQbTh— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) June 19, 2024
“It kind of got me, like, in the nerve, so my hand went into a claw and it’s kind of hard to move my fingers right now,” Arenado said after the game.
Less than a week before that moment, Arenado had been hit in the hand with a pitch and underwent X-rays as well. He avoided the IL in both cases.
On top of those HBP injuries, Arenado is dealing with tendinitis in his left forearm. He got an injection for the pain and told reporters he was feeling a lot better on June 25.
“Hitting, my left forearm bothers a little bit, but throwing my right elbow hurts,” Arenado said. “So, it’s just kind of grinding it out, and we’ll see where we can go from here.”
Underperforming In 2024
Arenado is struggling both offensively and defensively in 2024. His .262 batting average is the second-lowest of any full season in his 12-year career. He’s only hit seven home runs this year and is on pace to hit the fewest in any full season since his rookie year. He also has a lower slugging percentage than at any point in his career.
“He’s been working hard to get the ball in the air, pull-side and with authority,” Cardinals Manager Oliver Marmol said of Arenado’s struggles over the weekend. “There’s not many that work as hard as Arenado. He’s been frustrated with not doing it to the degree he wants, but it won’t keep him from working.”
Defense was once how Arenado made his name. He won the Gold Glove award in his first 10 seasons as a professional. From 2016 to 2022, he was in the 96th percentile or higher in the League for range. In 2023, he was in the 89th percentile. So far in 2024, Arenado is in the 37th percentile for defensive range, which is by far the worst in his career.
On Friday’s 9-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Arenado had an uncharacteristic error in the fifth inning on what could have been an inning-ending double play. He fumbled a hard-hit ball right at him, resulting in a run. It spelled the end for Sonny Gray’s start and resulted in four more runs coming across the plate that inning. Marmol acknowledged after the game that the play hurt the team.
“The play at third there leads to a bigger inning, and the ball kicks up a little bit. That could have ended it there,” Marmol said.
Arenado Doesn’t Want Time Off
While his struggles can’t be attributed to his injury, after all, he started the season struggling; they can help explain some of his issues. Laboring at times through the game with injuries to both arms, Arenado could potentially use some rest. However, Marmol says Arenado doesn’t want it.
#STLCards manager Oli Marmol on Nolan Arenado still searching and working through his struggles while trying to drive the baseball more for homers and extra-base hits … pic.twitter.com/PpTbdjbtW4
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) June 30, 2024
“He wants to be able to figure it out, and you can’t figure it out if you’re not getting at-bats,” Marmol told MLB.com this weekend. “So, this isn’t a conversation of, ‘Hey, he needs two days off.’ He doesn’t want two days off; he doesn’t want a day off. [Arenado] flights when you want to give him a day off. He wants to grind through it, figure it out, and get the feel he’s been seeking to maintain it. So, you write him in the lineup and keep going.”
Despite Arenado’s resistance to an off day, he doesn’t look like the player who solidified himself as the best third baseman in Baseball at one point in his career. The Cardinals are in a position where they can afford to give him some time to rest and come back fresh; the question may be whether Arenado will allow it.
Main Photo Credits: Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports
