Injury updates for 5 St. Louis Cardinals players who have been on the mend

Injuries unraveled the St. Louis Cardinals' plans this offseason. The outfield was supposed to consist of Lars Nootbaar in left field, Tommy Edman roaming center, and Jordan Walker in right field; Dylan Carlson would be the 4th outfielder. Instead, the Opening Day roster featured Brendan Donovan in left, rookie Victor Scott II in center, and Jordan Walker in right with Michael Siani on the bench.

The relief corps also experienced some setbacks when Keynan Middleton, a recent free agent acquisition, went down during spring training. The Cardinals were already coming out of the gate shorthanded.

One month into the season and we have some updates on these injured players. At the moment, Dylan Carlson, Tommy Edman, Keynan Middleton, Drew Rom, and Matt Carpenter are all on the team's Injured List.

Here's a breakdown of when to expect these players back in St. Louis and the ramifications of their reactivation.

LHP Drew Rom

Status: 15-day Injured List

Drew Rom injured his bicep late in spring training, and he was subsequently placed on the 15-day IL on March 26th. The left-handed pitcher was assumed to miss at least the first few weeks of the season, but his absence has been much greater than that.

Rom, 24, was acquired in a trade last deadline when the Cardinals sent Jack Flaherty to the Baltimore Orioles. He made a few appearances with the big league team down the stretch, but his role this year was a bit murkier. He was likely to start in the rotation in Memphis, but a long relief role in St. Louis was possible had he not gone down with an injury.

As of April 23rd, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reported that Rom had taken a step back in his recovery. He took part in plyometric exercises a couple of weeks ago, but his arm didn't feel right after the exercises. Rom's inability to throw right now puts him back quite a while. He's been out for a month at this point.

If Drew Rom doesn't get on a mound soon, a transition to the 60-day IL is likely. He could be out past May if that's the case. The latest word, as of April 23rd, on Rom indicated that he was going to see Dr. Keith Meister in Texas. Meister is an elbow doctor known for the same procedure that players like Brendan Donovan and Bryce Harper received.

RHP Keynan Middleton

Status: 15-day IL

The Cardinals signed right-handed reliever Keynan Middleton to a one-year deal this offseason to bolster the bullpen with some high-leverage innings. Middleton missed some time in spring due to family business, but he also went down with a right forearm strain in mid-March.

Middleton, 30, has played for a half dozen teams, but he finished last season with the New York Yankees. His strikeout numbers last year -- 11.4 K/9 -- were going to provide a massive boost to a 'pen that needed swing-and-miss stuff. He would slot in as a late-inning reliever or a high-leverage arm with players like Andrew Kittredge, Giovanny Gallegos, JoJo Romero, and Ryan Helsley.

As of April 23rd, Middleton was playing long-distance catch (110 feet). He has worked out two days on and one day off for a while now, but Keynan had yet to throw off a mound at that point. By the end of the week, it's possible that Middleton will begin throwing bullpen sessions. That would be promising. He will need to go to Memphis for a rehab stint, so he's aiming for a reappearance toward the middle or end of May.

Middleton's return to the bullpen will only deepen manager Oliver Marmol's options late in games. Middleton has high-leverage experience, and he can be employed when the big three of Helsley, Kittredge, and Romero are out of commission.

Middleton's right-handedness pairs nicely with the lefty stuff of fellow reliever Matthew Liberatore. Once Middleton returns, the Cardinals could boast the best bullpen in all of baseball this year.

CF Tommy Edman

Status: 10-day IL

Tommy Edman's injury has been the most confusing on this list. He had arthroscopic surgery on his wrist in October, but that news didn't break until January of 2024. Once the cat was out of the bag, concern grew that Edman may miss at least some time in spring training and possibly even during the regular season.

The news cycle went dark surrounding Edman until March when camp opened up. He tried some workouts in early March, but pain lingered in his right wrist. Edman was shut down and placed on the Injured List immediately. He sat out all of spring training and was out of commission during the early season as well.

Edman has slowly been progressing with front toss and tee work, though he is a bit behind Dylan Carlson. While the two were on similar schedules as recently as April 10th, Carlson appears to have outpaced Edman in recovery. Edman has been hitting off the tee from both sides of the plate. No reports have indicated lingering pain at this point in his recovery, so his recovery process won't be interrupted any longer.

Both Carlson and Edman's returns will displace players currently on the major league roster. Jose Fermin and Michael Siani stand to be the most likely candidates to get demoted, though Pedro Pages could see a move back to Memphis in the near future. Regardless of who stays and who goes at this point, having players like Dylan Carlson and Tommy Edman back will bolster both the offense and defense in key positions.

Michael Siani has played excellent defense in the outfield, but his bat has left a lot to be desired. Carlson and Edman are both career-average hitters, but Carlson has shown an ability to be an above-average hitter with a good glove and strong arm. Edman's return to the field will allow Marmol to play players where he originally intended them to play.

OF Dylan Carlson

Status: 10-day IL

Dylan Carlson was projected to be the team's 4th outfielder this year behind Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar, and Jordan Walker. After it was clear that Edman would be out for at least the month of April in spring, Carlson moved up the depth chart to starting center fielder.

After slashing just .111/.111/.167 in his first 7 games, his next ten featured him going on a torrent. After 10 more games in spring, his slash line improved to .273/.319/.545 with three home runs. Carlson flipped the script, and all signs pointed to him being a good replacement for the injured Edman.

His fortunes turned soon after his hot streak. On March 22nd, Carlson and fellow outfielder Jordan Walker were both chasing down a fly ball in left-center field. Walker slid to try and catch it, and Dylan Carlson collided with him, sending Dylan flying and causing him to land on his shoulder. Carlson was subsequently placed on the 10-day IL as a result.

Dylan's progression was slow to start; he waited a few weeks to hit off a tee from both sides, and he waited even longer to get reps in the field. Recent reports have been largely positive regarding his recovery.

In a recent edition of "Sports on a Sunday Morning" with Tom Ackerman, President of Baseball Operations and manager Oliver Marmol both discussed Carlson's return to the field.

He'll go out Tuesday and begin his rehab. If all things go well, we could see him in a week. Obviously we have to make up at bats as best we can and give him real-game experience, but he's feeling good, and he's cleared to go.

It is wholly possible that Dylan Carlson is back in St. Louis within the next week. He could even join the team next week against the Mets or wait until the Cardinals head north to face off against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 9th.

John Denton of MLB recently reported that Carlson will begin a rehab stint in Memphis on Tuesday, so Dylan is already on the path to returning.

Regardless of when Carlson returns, roster moves must be made. Either Jose Fermin or Michael Siani, likely Fermin so as to bolster outfield depth, will have to be sent back down to Memphis to make space for Carlson.