For Cardinals reliever Giovanny Gallegos, his time spent on the injured list not only allowed him to regain strength in his shoulder — it also provided a mental reset for the 32-year-old right-hander who got off to a rocky start in 2024.
“When you go on the IL, it’s because your body needs it, right? And that is the moment and the time you need to make adjustments that you need to make,†Gallegos said in Spanish. “In my case, there were a lot of things in my mind that I needed to strengthen, and thanks to God, we worked on that. I’m not going to lie: It’s been difficult, honestly, because I’ve been a person that likes to compete, that always is 100% devoted to the team.â€
Through his first 13 relief appearances this season, Gallegos posted a 12.00 ERA over nine innings. Opposing hitters produced a .341 batting average against the reliever who had a 3.14 ERA in 268 appearances with the Cardinals before the start of this season.
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His average fastball velocity sat at 92 mph — a 2 mph decrease from where it was in 2023 and 2022 — while the .570 slugging percentage allowed by his slider was the highest it’s been in any season since 2018, per Statcast.
“Sometimes you feel good, you feel a little bad, but I think everything built up with me,†Gallegos said. “Things weren’t starting off well, the arm began to bug me a little bit, but I’ve always been a person who, it doesn’t matter how I feel, honestly.â€
After more than six weeks on the injured list because of a right shoulder impingement, Gallegos was activated on Friday, but he has not yet pitched in a big league game since returning. The IL stint was the second of Gallegos’ career for an arm injury. His only other missed time for that reason came at the end of the 2023 season. Gallegos said then that injury was one he could have pitched through had the Cardinals been in a playoff position.
While on the IL, Gallegos made six rehab appearances — two with Class AA Springfield (Missouri) and four with Class AAA Memphis — and totaled 61/3 innings across the two levels. He allowed eight runs on nine hits as he worked through mechanical adjustments and briefly switched to wearing glasses from contact lenses, which he has at times felt uncomfortable using. He noted that he would stick to his contacts upon his return. It’s a return that might come with lower-leverage spots as he works his way back from his lengthy absence.
“One (was) that he felt healthy and strong, which wasn’t the case prior to (that), and to be that early on in the season and not feel strong was worrisome,†Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Saturday. “Him being able to take that break and then restart that throwing progression and get off the bump a couple of times before being in competition, but he said he felt normal again during that rehab assignment. That’s kind of the words you’re hoping for.â€
Arenado absent
Third baseman Nolan Arenado did not play in the Cardinals’ 5-3 victory Sunday at home over San Francisco because of an irritated nerve in his left forearm. Marmol said before the game that Arenado received an injection.
Arenado experienced the irritation after a check swing in one of his at-bats on Saturday. With the 33-year-old out of the starting lineup, Brandon Crawford made the start at third base and was 1 for 3 with an RBI.
Crawford’s start was his second at third base this season and the second of his career after he exclusively played at shortstop across his first 13 seasons in the majors.
Matz’s setback ‘stinks’
Just as he felt his pitch mix was trending in the right direction as he was making progress toward returning from the IL, the Cardinals’ Steven Matz saw his rehab process reset after he experienced lingering soreness after a rehab outing on June 16.
The start was Matz’s third after going on the IL in early May and included three perfect innings. But now he is taking two weeks off and isn’t expected back for four to six weeks.
“I think the mindset the whole time was just to get back as quick as I can, and now you kind of have a clear plan, right? Take these two weeks off, do what I can to make sure this thing doesn’t flare up again and go from there,†Matz said.
Since signing a four-year, $44 million deal with the Cardinals ahead of the 2022 season, Matz has landed on the IL in each of his first three seasons with the club. He’s pitched in 46 games, with 33 starts.
“It goes without saying, obviously, this is now my third season with the team, and you just want to go out there and compete, and this stinks,†Matz said on Sunday. “But ultimately, it’s just what I got, so I’m just going to focus on getting better.â€
Herrera, Siani, Goldschmidt etc.
Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera expressed optimism that his first career stint on the IL could be a quick one. He was placed on the 10-day IL on Saturday because of lower back tightness he experienced after lifting his bag from the team bus ahead of the Cardinals’ game Thursday at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Herrera said he did not feel any pain. He’s yet to swing a bat.
- Michael Siani tested his bruised ribs before Sunday’s game to determine if he would be able to play and found he was not able to. The center fielder exited on Saturday in the fourth inning after sustaining the injury on a diving catch in the third.
- Paul Goldschmidt’s home run in the first inning for the Cardinals in their 9-4 win on Saturday was the 350th of his career, tying him with Chili Davis for 99th all time in MLB history.
- A single in the second inning on Saturday by Matt Carpenter made him the club’s 19th player to reach 2,000 total bases with the team and the seventh left-handed hitter in Cardinals history to do so.