6 overreactions to the first week of the Cardinals' 2024 season

Overreaction 5 - Injuries will derail the Cardinals' entire season

If the St. Louis Cardinals win the Pennant this year, the 2024 Opening Day lineup will be a trivia question. Why was Victor Scott II batting leadoff in the 8th game of his career? Did a backup catcher hit cleanup? Is Michael Siani the second coming of Justin Williams? Well, after suffering a flurry of hit-by-pitches in San Diego, Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras were both unavailable for the home opener. It's unlikely they'll miss significant time, but even missing one game is quite the blow to a Cardinals team already dealing with multiple injuries to key contributors.

Tommy Edman's wrist injury was downplayed all offseason, but it looks like he may miss the majority, if not all, of the 2024 season. Sonny Gray hurt his hamstring in just his second Spring start, and Lars Nootbaar suffered yet another freak injury fracturing his ribs on a diving catch. Once Dylan Carlson collided with Jordan Walker during the final Spring Training game, it looked like the Cardinals might be destined for an injury-riddled campaign. Along with Riley O'Brien and Keynan Middleton, not even the bullpen was safe.

Aside from Edman's injury, though, it doesn't look like any of the Cardinals' injuries will be too damaging. The roster should be nearly healthy at some point very soon. Once Nootbaar and Gray return, the lineup and starting rotation will both be near full strength. Both Contreras and Donovan should be cleared to play in some capacity this weekend against the Marlins, so while scary, the hit-by-pitches, thankfully, don't seem to be very impactful.

It's impossible to predict injuries for the roster down the stretch, but hopefully, the Cardinals' luck will turn around, and the rest of the team can stay healthy. Even if the injury bug continues to bite, however, the Cardinals' come-from-behind win over the Marlins in the home opener showed a lot of promise. Despite the team not being at its best, the Cardinals can still scrape together wins with a less-than-stellar lineup.

Verdict: Injuries are tough no matter what. But as long as they don't get too out of hand, the Cardinals will survive. For now, the health of the team is not a major concern.