Rating the concern level with 7 struggling Cardinals as spring training wraps up

The St. Louis Cardinals kick off the regular season against the Minnesota Twins this coming Thursday, but there are a fair number of players on the squad right now who don't look ready for game action as things currently stand.

Like every year, some spring training performances translate to the regular season, and others don't. Just because a player is not putting up good numbers in exhibition games does not mean they won't figure things out when the games finally count, but when it gets this late into camp, you at least want to start seeing signs of life from the players you are counting on this year.

While there are more than seven Cardinals struggling in camp, these players stand out above the rest with how poor their performances have been, and I want to take a look at each of these names and rate my concern level as things currently stand. On a scale of one to ten, one would mean I am not concerned at all and ten would mean I am freaking out and sounding the alarm.

How concerned should we be with these 7 struggling Cardinals as spring training comes to a close?

Sonny Gray

Concern level: 6/10

Before Friday, I would have put my concern level for Sonny Gray at a four, but after another rough outing and the comments he made postgame, I think it is fair to monitor his situation closely

No, I am not on the train of people saying Gray is "cooked," but the continuation of the home run problem he had last year now rearing its ugly head in camp is not something that will make fans feel all that comfortable. Gray, though he played down the velocity concerns, did admit that the injection he received at the end of the 2024 season slowed down his offseason program, and now he's behind schedule in terms of his preparation for Opening Day.

If there is anyone on this team who you can trust to know how to get himself ready, it is Gray. If this were any other player on the Cardinals staff, my concern level would be higher. But for now, I am going to trust that Gray, the coaching staff, and the medical staff will know how to get him right for the regular season.

But anytime you're talking about someone's performance being impacted by an injury they experienced at the end of the season prior and used injections to recover rather than surgery, it does give you pause. Could this linger longer than Gray is anticipating? Could a more significant surgery be on the horizon? Gray is the only Cardinals starter with the talent capable of leading a rotation, so if he struggles or goes down with an injury, things will look very rough for this group.