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Cardinals' Carlos Martinez Won't Throw for 2 Weeks Because of Shoulder Injury
February 19, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez will not throw for two weeks, per team beat reporter Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com:
Martinez had two stints on the disabled list in 2018. The right-hander missed virtually all of May with a strained right lat.
After returning to the Cardinals' rotation on June 5, Martinez posted a 4.87 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 25 walks in 40.2 innings over nine starts. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list for a second time on July 21 with a strained right oblique.
The Cardinals decided to use him out of the bullpen for his final 15 appearances from Aug. 21 to Sept. 29. He had a 1.47 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 18.1 innings down the stretch.
St. Louis' starting rotation was wrecked by injuries last season. Adam Wainwright and Michael Wacha only combined to make 23 starts, and prized prospect Alex Reyes made just one start before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.
The Cardinals look more formidable this season, especially on offense, after acquiring Paul Goldschmidt from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Martinez has the highest ceiling of any St. Louis starter, but his mounting injury history is concerning for a team with playoff aspirations in 2019.
