Cardinals center fielder Harrison Bader will start the season on the injured list due to soreness in his right forearm that’s expected to sideline him for roughly a month, manager Mike Shildt said prior to Wednesday’s Grapefruit League contest against the Mets.
Bader was to receive a PRP injection in his right forearm on Wednesday after he experienced soreness similar to what kept him out of a week’s worth of games at the beginning of March.
“Probably a solid four weeks at a minimum,” Shildt said. “Just something that keeps flaring up that he feels like he can’t compete consistently at his best.”
The initial forearm flareup was not only inhibiting Bader’s throwing, but recent exacerbations started to creep into how he felt offensively, Shildt said, and that’s when the club decided a more aggressive approach was necessary. Bader went 3-for-28 in 10 games this spring.
“At that point, we have to take another step that requires more time and rest, and a little more serious treatment,” Shildt said. “Just something that has gone away and keeps coming back and we can’t get it to go away. So here we are.”
A Cardinals outfield without Bader does two things. First, it means top prospect Dylan Carlson will likely be the club’s starting center fielder, a role he took on for the second consecutive Grapefruit League game on Wednesday.
“I wouldn’t declare it, but I think it’s a strong possibility,” Shildt said. “He’s proven he can do it, so it’s definitely a possibility. … He does have an instinct for it.”
Second, it clears up a crowded outfield picture, at least at the outset of the season. Lane Thomas, Justin Williams and John Nogowski — the latter primarily a first baseman who has been taking reps in the outfield — all now have a better chance to make the Opening Day roster. Thomas, specifically, is another prime candidate to play center, while Williams has impressed all spring and could get a majority of reps in right when Carlson plays center.
Nevertheless, the loss of Bader means the loss of a Gold Glove-caliber fielder in the Cardinals’ outfield. The pitching depth has already been tested this spring, and now the defense is on the spot.
“People are going to get an opportunity to step up, and we have every confidence they’ll go in and make the plays they’re capable of,” Shildt said. “That’s all we can ask.”