Just when it appeared that things couldn’t get any worse for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2023, they suffered another devastating setback.
On Monday, it was announced that veteran left-hander Steven Matz, who has emerged as the team’s ace recently, has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a strain in his lat muscle.
Matz has become one of St. Louis’ most consistent starters as of late, posting a 1.86 ERA since rejoining the rotation after a stint in the bullpen.
Now, the question is whether or not Matz will pitch again in 2023.
On Twitter, Cardinals writer Jeff Jones revealed the news of Matz’s setback.
Steven Matz has a lat strain. He reported some soreness after his start Saturday. Open question whether he pitches again this season.
Zack Thompson takes his rotation spot.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) August 14, 2023
Jones reported that Matz had felt some pain in his lat muscle after his start on Saturday night against the Kansas City Royals.
In that start, he pitched six innings and allowed just two runs.
Left-hander Zack Thompson will take Matz’s place in the rotation for the time being.
The Cardinals’ starting rotation has been their weak point this season.
They were ultimately forced to trade away Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery at the deadline.
However, things had been looking better, especially during Matz’s resurgence.
Now, it is unknown if the veteran left-hander will return at any point this season.
The news of Matz’s injury poses a major problem for the Cardinals, who are trying to assess what they have in-house as they look towards the 2024 season.
St. Louis owns an abysmal 53-66 record as they sit tied for last place in the NL Central with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
NEXT: Cardinals Insider Calls For Team To Pursue A Key Free Agent