Cardinals News: Nolan Arenado intends on playing in St. Louis once more

After battling pain for over a month, third baseman Nolan Arenado was placed on the Injured List on August 1st. The St. Louis Cardinals' third baseman had been dealing with a variety of injuries throughout the month of July, including a sprain on his index finger and shoulder irritation, and the Cardinals pulled the trigger and placed the 10-time Gold Glove Award winner on the IL in early August.

This was just the second time on the IL for Arenado since coming to the Cardinals. The hard-working third baseman has taken great pride throughout his career in being available whenever he was called upon, and to go on the IL was a difficult decision for both him and the team.

While Arenado's offense has been sapped these last few years — he posted a 151 OPS+ in 2022 followed by a 108 OPS+ in 2023, a 102 OPS+ in 2024, and an 86 OPS+ this year — his defense has still been pretty solid. He was a finalist for the Gold Glove at third base last year, and he's accumulated two Outs Above Average (OAA) so far this year.

Arenado has been shut down from baseball activities for a couple of weeks now while he gives his shoulder some much-needed rest, but he's beginning to ramp up baseball activities, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic.

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado intends on playing once more in 2025 for the St. Louis Cardinals.

With the Cardinals visiting the Miami Marlins this week for a three-game set, media members were able to speak with Nolan Arenado, who is in Florida working with the Cardinals' minor league staff while he recovers from his shoulder strain.

While speaking with reporters on Tuesday afternoon, he said that he hopes to begin taking swings by Friday. This would be an important step, as it shows that his shoulder is back to normal strength and he's comfortable swinging a bat in the box.

Following hitting practice, Arenado intends on starting a throwing program next week. "Pain is going down," said Arenado. "(I'm) definitely getting there."

Based on Arenado's quote, he's still several weeks away from a possible activation off the Injured List. However, he intends on playing before the end of the 2025 season.

In his absence, Nolan Gorman has been the club's primary third baseman. Defense has been a struggle for Gorman at the hot corner — he's committed four errors in August alone — but the consistent plate appearances have done wonders for his offense. He's slashing .234/.368/.447 in the month with three home runs, nine runs batted in, 10 walks, and 16 strikeouts. He's finally gotten a full run at third base, and he's taking advantage of it.

There's a possibility that Nolan Arenado will get traded this offseason. After attempts — and a near trade — were made this offseason to move the potential Hall of Famer by the Cardinals proved futile, Arenado played the 2025 season with St. Louis. In order to clear payroll this winter, Chaim Bloom could shop Arenado. A trade would also open up playing time for the club's plethora of infielders including Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese, and top prospect JJ Wetherholt.

Nolan Arenado is still a few weeks away from coming off the IL, but he's looking to get back to the majors by the end of the year.