PHOENIX -- A day after getting good news on the injury front with the returns of third baseman Nolan Arenado and right fielder Jordan Walker, the Cardinals were dealt a blow with second baseman Nolan Gorman landing on the injured list with lower back pain on Saturday.
Gorman missed the first-half finale and then was scratched from the lineup for the second-half opener on Friday. Imaging taken revealed some inflammation but no structural damage, so the decision was made to shut him down until the inflammation goes away.
“We had a pretty good idea that this was going to be a little bit more than just a couple days,” manager Oliver Marmol said before the Cardinals’ 10-1 loss to the D-backs Saturday at Chase Field, “just how he was feeling and the fact that it flared up on him the day before the break, felt good for a couple days, then flared up on him again.”
Gorman was healthy all last season, but this is the fourth IL trip in three seasons for the 25-year-old, who missed time in April with a right hamstring strain and had two IL stints in ‘23 for the same back and hamstring.
Marmol was asked whether a recurring back issue for such a young player was concerning.
“I’ve had to answer that question every year he’s been with us,” Marmol said. “It flares up every year at some point, and it’s just part of it.”
Gorman is confident this IL stint will be minimal and he’ll be able to come back healthy for the duration of the season.
“It’s not ideal, but it is what it is for now,” he said. “I’ll get it better and come back stronger.
“This is just gonna be a thing about getting inflammation out of there and that’s it. It’s just inflammation. That’s the issue right now, and so once that’s gone, I’m sure I’ll feel just fine.”
No player wants to go on the IL at any time, but this trip may have hit Gorman a little harder because he grew up in Phoenix, having starred for Sandra Day O'Connor High School before being selected by the Cardinals 19th overall in 2018.
There were family members and friends hoping to see him play this weekend, but they’ll no doubt understand.
“It’s probably disappointing for them that they don’t get to watch me play, but this is my job,” Gorman said. “It’s my career, so I have to do what’s best to be able to play this for a long time.”
Gorman will head back to St. Louis Sunday. He’ll be reevaluated on Monday to determine the next course of action, but first, he at least gets to spend some time in his old stompin’ grounds.
“It’s always nice coming back here and getting to play in my home state,” he said. “On my drive home, I drive past my high school field, so it brings back memories.”
One of those memories was no doubt his Chase Field debut as a Major Leaguer, which came on Aug. 20, 2022.
Marmol tells the tale:
“I remember we were here in ‘22 and Albert [Pujols] was in the lineup and he was 4-for-4 with two homers and [the D-backs] brought in [Mark] Melancon. And the stupid manager (gestures to himself) pinch-hits for Albert – 4-for-4, two homers – and I pinch-hit Gorman.
“The whole time, I’m sitting there going, ‘Please, please get a hit.’ Thankfully, he did. It reminded me because as soon as he got announced, [you could see] he had a ton of people here. I think I got booed [for pulling Pujols], but he got cheered when he got a hit.”
Gorman’s hit drove in a run in a 16-7 Cardinals win. As far as memories go, getting your first big league at-bat in your home state and knocking an RBI single while pinch-hitting for a baseball legend is pretty good.