The St. Louis Cardinals are in an awkward spot while trying to stay afloat in the National League postseason picture.
They are far from contending for the NL Central title, as the Milwaukee Brewers come off a 14-game winning streak that currently has them in a safe, eight-game lead on the Chicago Cubs and 17.5-game lead on the Cardinals entering Tuesday.
St. Louis is also struggling to stay relevant in the Wild Card picture after losing back-to-back series to the Colorado Rockies and the New York Yankees. Injuries have taken a toll on the team, and the Cardinals have been attempting to put together consistent baseball without top players like Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado.
Nolan Arenado provides an injury update on Tuesday
The Cardinals have been without their top-paid player since July 30. Nolan Arenado was placed on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 1 after dealing with a right shoulder strain. His struggling plate appearances made it evident that the lingering issue was taking a toll on him, and they decided to shut him down.
On Tuesday, The Athletic's Katie Woo reported on the news, saying Arenado "hopes to begin taking swings by Friday and is optimistic he'll be able to start a throwing program next week. He plans to play again this season, though that timetable is still TBD."
Arenado also spoke on the injury, saying, "Pain is going down, definitely getting there."
Nolan Arenado said this afternoon he hopes to begin taking swings by Friday and is optimistic he'll be able to start a throwing program next week. He plans to play again this season, though that timetable is still TBD.
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) August 19, 2025
"Pain is going down, definetely getting there." #STLCards
The eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award winner has been having a surprisingly off year for the Cardinals in 2025. He's on pace to have career lows in batting average (.235), on-base percentage (.294), slugging percentage (.366), OPS (.660), and WAR (1.1) while hitting just 10 home runs and 43 RBI this season.