Cardinals' Nolan Arenado exits the game early after a scary hit by pitch

Update (2:48 PM CT): Manager Oli Marmol confirmed after the game that Nolan Arenado's X-rays came back negative, and that he'll be day-to-day.

It's been a rough string of injury news for the St. Louis Cardinals lately with Steven Matz suffering a major setback, and now it looks like they could be without their cornerstone third baseman for a while as Nolan Arenado left Wednesday's game in the 8th inning after being hit by a pitch by Marlins reliever Huascar Brazoban.

Arenado was on the ground clutching his elbow for a prolonged period of time as Cardinals coaches and trainers tended to him before leaving the game. It's unclear how serious of an injury he suffered, but he appeared to be in extreme pain in a scene extremely reminiscent of Mookie Betts' hit by a pitch earlier this week that fractured his hand. Betts will be out 6-8 weeks, but hopefully, Arenado will miss minimal time. Currently, his injury has been described as a right elbow contusion, which is significantly better than a potential fracture.

As the Cardinals lineup continues to look for consistent output, being without their All-Star third baseman will make it a lot more difficult. Arenado hasn't had a great season so far, and he has definitely been part of the reason why St. Louis has struggled offensively, but any absence would greatly hurt the depth of an already weak Cardinals bench.

With Willson Contreras on his way back in the coming days and Tommy Edman presumably returning around the All-Star Break, the Cardinals were looking like they might be at full strength very soon, so hopefully Arenado won't require a trip to the injured list. With a playoff spot in hand, they will need Arenado healthy and effective for a playoff push in the second half.