Carlos Martinez Placed on Cardinals 10-Day DL; Lat Injury Diagnosed as Strain

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez is an ace in the making, but he will be out of action for at least 10 days after being placed on the disabled list Thursday. 

The Cardinals announced Martinez was suffering from a strained right lat, prompting his move to the DL. 

Martinez gave up four runs over five innings in a 7-1 loss against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. It was the first time he allowed more than one run in a start since Opening Day on March 29. 

The 26-year-old has been the Cards' most-reliable arm in 2018, producing a 1.62 ERA with 47 strikeouts and 32 hits allowed in 50 innings so far this season.

After spending most of 2013 and 2014 as a reliever, Martinez broke out in 2015 as a key part of the Cards' starting rotation and was named to his first career All-Star team.

Martinez built upon that in 2016 by winning a career-high 16 games to go along with a 3.04 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 174 strikeouts.

In 2017, Martinez was named an All-Star for the second time in his career, and he finished the season with a 12-11 record, 3.64 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a career-high 217 strikeouts in 205 innings.

There is little doubt that Martinez is the Cardinals' most-dynamic pitcher, but there is a solid amount of depth throughout their rotation.

St. Louis' rotation was already missing Adam Wainwright, who is on the DL with right elbow inflammation. Luke Weaver, Michael Wacha and Miles Mikolas are now the top three starters, and Mike Mayers was called up from Triple-A to take Martinez's spot on the 25-man roster. 

Losing a player of Martinez's caliber is never ideal, but the Cardinals have long been known for cultivating a stable of great pitchers, and this injury could put that to the test.

Pitching is usually St. Louis' biggest key to success, but the bats will likely be needed to pick up the slack in a big way if Martinez lands on the shelf.

Every game counts in the highly competitive National League Central, which makes Martinez's return to the rotation vital.