After losing on opening day, two key Cardinals players are already dealing with injuries.
The injury bug has already hit the Cardinals.
To put it mildly, Thursday was an exciting day at Busch Stadium.
To start the 2023 season, the St. Louis Cardinals hosted the Toronto Blue Jays and lost 10-9. Despite the defeat, it was a thrilling day filled with action and the Major League Baseball debut of highly anticipated prospect Jordan Walker.
The fact that the squad is already battling with injuries is more significant than the fact that the team lost, even with 161 games remaining in the season. After Opening Day, middle reliever Giovanny Gallegos and new Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras are both nursing injuries.
Contreras was lifted from Thursday’s game because of a contusion in his right knee, which occurred when right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks’ fastball, which clocked 102.7 mph, struck him squarely in the knee. In the eighth inning of Thursday’s game, Hicks delivered a fastball that drove Contreras to crawl to his right to keep it from going to the backstop. The 30-year-old was able to get in front of the pitch, but it struck him in the knee cap.
After the game, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol provided an update on Contreras’ knee that was not shocking, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.
Marmol remarked, “Willson’s hurting pretty good,” according to Woo’s transcription. “Gave him a square knee. It was difficult for him to even bear weight on it, much less try to bend it.”
There was no information available as of Friday morning on the amount of time Contreras would miss, if any. He could have to spend some time on the injured list, and further details should be forthcoming soon.
According to Woo, Gallegos is now battling with a lower back issue, which is why he did not play in Thursday’s defeat.
“Marmol indicated after the game he would’ve initially gone with (Ryan Helsley), but Gallegos became unexpectedly unavailable hours before first pitch,” Woo stated. “Gallegos tweaked his lower back lifting weights during a workout Wednesday afternoon and felt his back seize back up again when throwing before Thursday’s game.”
The 31-year-old has been one of St. Louis’ most consistent relievers over the course of his four full seasons with the club. Gallegos has made 214 appearances over that time, tallying 284 strikeouts and a 2.82 ERA.
