Cardinals injuries and roster moves

June 16: SS Brandon Crawford (leg cramps) not likely to miss time
Crawford left the 2-1 win over the Cubs midway through his eighth-inning at-bat with a cramp in his left hamstring. Manager Oliver Marmol said the removal was precautionary and the veteran shortstop should be available off the bench on Monday when they open a three-game series against the Marlins in Miami.

Crawford started at shortstop on Sunday, reaching base three times on a double and two walks. José Fermín finished the at-bat and popped out.

Rookie Masyn Winn, who opened the day as the Cardinals’ designated hitter, was inserted into the game defensively at shortstop for the eighth and ninth innings.

June 16: RHP Ryan Loutos recalled from Memphis; RHP Kyle Gibson placed on bereavement list
Loutos, the Washington University graduate and former Cardinals contractor who made it to the big leagues for his MLB debut on June 1, was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Sunday. Loutos is in Chicago and available for Sunday’s game against the Cubs.

Starting pitcher Kyle Gibson, who threw seven scoreless innings in Friday’s victory over the Cubs, was placed on MLB’s Bereavement List. Gibson is scheduled to start again on Wednesday against the Marlins in Miami and the club is confident he will return in time to make that start.

Loutos, 25, worked briefly for the Cardinals writing code for an app they were creating to help pitchers better access their metrics. He got his MLB callup on May 20, but didn’t get into his first MLB game until June 1 in Philadelphia, where he threw a scoreless inning. In 2 1/3 scoreless innings of work, he surrendered two hits and a walk.

C Willson Contreras (left forearm fracture)
Expected return: Saturday
Contreras will make a rehab start with Triple-A Memphis on June 18, DHing in Memphis’ afternoon game against Jacksonville for a scheduled three at-bats. Contreras, who fractured his left forearm on May 7 upon getting hit by the bat of J.D. Martinez, was cleared to begin baseball activities the week of June 10 following a positive CT scan. He took batting practice at Busch Stadium the following weekend. (Last updated: June 17) More >>

LHP Steven Matz (lower back strain)
Expected return: Late June
Matz, who is bouncing back from a lingering back issue, threw three scoreless innings for Double-A Springfield on June 16. Matz did not allow a hit or a walk while striking out five. After needing just 35 pitches — 24 of which were strikes — Matz finished up his work in the bullpen.

Matz has now made three Minor League rehab starts — two with Double-A Springfield and one with Triple-A Memphis. In those three outings, he has allowed three hits and five runs — none of them earned — while also striking out 10 and walking just two.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol has said the club would like to get Matz to 75-80 pitches before he returns to the big leagues. (Last updated: June 16)

RHP Tink Hence (cramping; No. 1 on Cardinals’ Top 30 Prospects list)
Expected return: TBD
Hence, MLB Pipeline’s No. 48 prospect and the top-ranked player in the Cardinals system, left his June 5 start after two innings because of cramping, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. Hence, 21, has not made an appearance since then. He struck out three and threw 20 of his 35 pitches for strikes. For the season, Hence is 4-2 with a 3.19 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings pitched. (Last updated: June 16)

RHP Giovanny Gallegos (right shoulder impingement)
Expected return: Late June, early July
Gallegos allowed three runs in one inning during a rehab outing for Double-A Springfield on June 14. It was the sixth Minor League outing of his rehab assignment, and his second with Springfield after four with Triple-A Memphis. Gallegos has yet to pitch on back-to-back days, which manager Oliver Marmol noted on June 3 was something the team still needed to see from him.

The right-hander, who has been losing velocity since 2022 and was hit hard this season, was placed on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder impingement on May 6. Coming into the season, Gallegos had been one of the Majors’ most durable pitchers, leading the National League in appearances (268) and innings pitched as a reliever (283 1/3) since ‘19. But this season, he allowed 12 earned runs in nine innings. He did not retire a batter in either of his last two outings, and the average velocity on his fastball dropped from 94.3 mph to 92.1 mph from ‘22 to ‘24. The hard-hit percentage on that pitch climbed from 46.5 percent to 81.8 percent. (Last updated: June 16)

RHP Keynan Middleton (right forearm flexor surgery)
Expected return: 2025
Middleton will undergo season-ending right flexor repair surgery, manager Oliver Marmol said on June 4. “In order for him to have any shot of being ready for 2025, it’s the best option, so his season will be over,” Marmol said. After spending several weeks rehabilitating and strengthening his forearm, Middleton recently made five appearances and compiled a 2.25 ERA for Double-A Springfield. However, pain returned in the forearm following relief appearances on May 22-23. (Last updated: June 4)

OF Lars Nootbaar (oblique strain)
Expected return: Mid-June
Nootbaar was placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to May 30, on May 31 after straining his left oblique while checking a swing in the seventh inning of a win over the Reds. Nootbaar, who missed most of Spring Training and the first 13 games of this season with two fractured ribs, has now been on the IL five times in the past two seasons. He is hitting .234 with five home runs and 19 RBIs. (Last updated: May 31)

RHP Nick Robertson (right elbow inflammation)
Expected return: Mid-to-late June
Robertson said he felt tightness while playing catch before a game during the week of May 20, but he doesn’t expect a prolonged stay on the IL. Robertson, who was acquired in a trade with Boston on December 8, is 0-0 with a 4.38 ERA in eight appearances this season. The move to the IL is retroactive to May 23. (Last updated: May 26)

CF Tommy Edman (right wrist surgery)
Expected return: Early July
Edman was scheduled to join the Cardinals’ Complex League team and Single-A Palm Beach the week of June 17 to get in more live at-bats and defensive reps, manager Oliver Marmol said on June 16. Edman, a 2021 Gold Glover at second base and a Gold Glove utility fielder finalist in ’22 and ’23, has yet to play this season after having surgery on his wrist last October. (Last updated: June 16) More >>

RHP Riley O’Brien (flexor tendon strain)
Expected return: Late June
O’Brien, who made the team with a stellar Spring Training and hasn’t pitched since Opening Day, is expected to begin a Minor League rehab assignment later this week with either Double-A Springfield or Triple-A Memphis, he said. He has been out since March 29 with a right flexor tendon strain and threw 20 pitches in a live batting practice session on Tuesday against Springfield hitters. O’Brien said he felt no ill-effects afterward.

Looking back to his Opening Day highlight that included a strikeout of Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, O’Brien said: “It felt good, and I wasn’t thinking about my arm or anything. It was just pitching, and I was thinking about my stuff and command, and it felt normal. I tried to mix all [of his pitches] in there at least a few times and every pitch felt good.” (Last updated: June 12)

LHP Drew Rom (left shoulder surgery)
Expected return: September
Rom, who was acquired last July in a trade with the Orioles, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder that might allow him to return later this season, manager Oliver Marmol said. Marmol dubbed the procedure as “a best-case scenario,” and is hopeful Rom can return in the fall.

Rom, 24, made three starts in Spring Training before being put on the injured list with shoulder trouble. He was later moved to the 60-day IL.

After being acquired in the trade centered around Jack Flaherty, Rom made his MLB debut in 2023 with the Cardinals. In eight starts, Rom was 1-4 with an 8.06 ERA. His first MLB win was over the Orioles in Baltimore. (Last updated: May 9)