The St. Louis Cardinals’ Spring Training has gotten off to a rough start on the injury side of things, with expected rotation member Miles Mikolas already ruled out for the beginning of the season due to arm troubles.
Mikolas, who is entering his third season with the NL Central team, complained of discomfort in his right forearm early in camp. He was diagnosed with flexor tendon soreness, and the team decided that the best course of action to treat the problem was a platelet-rich plasma injection.
Unfortunately for the Redbirds, this procedure means that Mikolas must sit out and not participating in any throwing activities for the next 3-4 weeks. This will put him significantly behind schedule for the beginning of the season, which starts up in late March.
The 31-year-old righty has been a solid performer over the past two seasons for St. Louis, posting a 31-24 record with a 3.82 ERA. After his excellent debut season in 2018, after signing with the club following a stint in Japan, he was given a four-year, $64 million contract extension.
His performance dipped slightly in 2019, but he was still a key member of the NL Central-winning Cardinals’ squad.
The Cardinals hope that their veteran starter won’t experience any more setbacks and that he will be on track to return earlier rather than later in the season.
