St. Louis Cardinals: Baby steps on the way back for Kim

pitcher Kwang-Hyun Kim (33) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets in the first inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
pitcher Kwang-Hyun Kim (33) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets in the first inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kwang Hyun Kim will miss Opening Day after back tightness sidelined him this spring. However, the St. Louis Cardinals starter is on his way back.

This spring, the St. Louis Cardinals have already suffered injuries in their starting rotation, stretching things thin. First it was Miles Mikolas, then it was Kwang Hyun Kim. These injuries have forced John Gant and Daniel Ponce de Leon into the rotation, but they won’t have to be there long.

Kwang Hyun Kim is coming into his second year in the MLB and came into spring as a pitcher in the middle of the St. Louis Cardinals rotation. However, things quickly soured this spring when Kim’s velocity dropped, leading to him missing time for back tightness.

Officially, Kim is not on the Opening Day roster, however, an odd thing occurred this weekend that fans don’t normally see. Kim, a pitcher headed for the injured list, threw in Saturday’s game against the Marlins.

Throwing 2.0 innings, Kim gave up three hits and two earned runs while striking out one. He didn’t walk anyone but the outcome of the game wasn’t important. The important thing was that Kim threw and was able to recover well.

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Though Kim pitched in the game, it still expects to be a “mid-April return” to the Cardinals for the left-hander.

Kim had a better first season in the MLB than most expected, likely aided by the small sample size of the shortened season. In 39 innings last year, Kim allowed just seven earned runs, setting his ERA at 1.62.

There is no chance Kim is able to replicate that level of success in 2021, but the 32-year-old will be an important cog in the Cardinals rotation when he is healthy.

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Kim wasn’t a fireballer before, so any drop in velocity would be catastrophic to his effectiveness.