The St. Louis Cardinals are still on hold regarding the elbow issue which has sidelined pitcher Marco Gonzales.
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“It’s anything from a very conservative approach to something that could wind up in surgery,” shared General Manager John Mozeliak prior to the team’s home opener on Monday. “I hate to sort of expound on it right now because I’m not sure directionally where he’s going to go. Until I have that clarity, it’s hard for me to answer.”
Confirming that it was indeed a ligament, Mozeliak last spoke with Gonzales on Friday and is waiting for the pitcher to come to a decision on what course of action will be best.
“The way we try to do it is obviously, our medical staff will help weigh in on this but sometimes these do come down to ultimately what the player wants to do.”
Fellow left-hander Tim Cooney, who was expected to join Gonzales at the top of the Memphis (AAA) rotation is still on a slow pattern of recovery from shoulder issues. No structural issues have been revealed, but Cooney has not consistently felt right. The hope is that in a couple of weeks the team will have a better idea of what’s next for him.
“Between Marco and Cooney, it’s definitely not where we thought we would be,” acknowledged Mozeliak. “When you look at what we have going on in Memphis, it’s not as strong as what we thought we were going to be but it’s not to say we are in a panic mode by any means. Also, in the back of our minds we also know we have somebody like a Reyes, who in a month or two could be available.”
Tommy Pham is looking to the end of next week to hopefully get out and play in a rehab assignment, but will begin tracking balls and non-swinging activities before then.
Things are moving along at a better pace for shortstop Ruben Tejada.
“Tejada’s moving fairly well,” said Mozeliak. “I would suspect probably by the end of this week we’re already thinking about maybe some game activity.”
Jhonny Peralta has had his cast removed, but remains in a splint and will continue his rehab in St. Louis. It will be at least another week and a half before tests can fully measure the strength in his thumb.
Reliever Jordan Walden is still “quiet” and needing more time in his recovery process.
photo credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
