LOS ANGELES — While his teammates packed their gear and readied to leave Florida, Cardinals starter Sonny Gray remained behind, succinct in what he needed to do before he could join them.
He had gone almost a month with it.
“I’ve got to get into a game,” the right-hander said.
The next step toward that game comes Friday in Gray’s recovery from the hamstring strain that interrupted his spring training and delayed his Cardinals debut. Gray will throw live batting practice at the team’s complex in Jupiter, Florida. Among the hitters he’s expected to face in the simulated game is teammate Lars Nootbaar. A Cardinals official said that is “probable.”
Nootbaar, who fractured his ribs earlier this month, has advanced to facing game-speed pitching, and it will be Gray who delivers it.
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“All our guys on the IL are progressing in the right direction,” said John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations.
That group includes Tommy Edman, who relocated rehab to Ƶ on Thursday. The team’s planned starting center fielder was unable to advance to games as hoped because of setbacks with his surgically repaired wrist. Edman’s focus in Ƶ is building strength around the wrist so he can return to hitting without experiencing the discomfort and weakness that slowed his spring training.
The Cardinals opened the season with six players on the injured list — their most on opening day since 2016. That year, Lance Lynn and Jhonny Peralta were two of the six players on the list. This season, the Cardinals open the year with their announced opening day starter, two starting outfielders and a setup man on the IL. Nootbaar is the closest to a return, though the club is hopeful both he and Gray could join the team early in the homestand that begins next Thursday.
The Cardinals’ splashy addition this past offseason, Gray injured his right hamstring during his second start of spring training. He was diagnosed with a “mild” tear that put him two weeks behind his fellow starters. Originally set to face hitters Thursday, Gray threw a bullpen session instead on Wednesday in Florida and shifted that live BP a day to get on schedule for a possible return.
If he recovers well from Friday’s work, which could be around four simulated innings, his next outing will be on a rehab assignment with a minor league affiliate. A start in the middle of next week will put him on turn to be available the first day he’s eligible to come off the IL.
The Cardinals backdated his IL stint, so that date is April 9.
How Cardinals sorted speed
By the time the Cardinals added Victor Scott II to the roster officially and named him their opening day starter, manager Oliver Marmol had already started to sketch out what the bottom of the lineup would look like with rookies Scott and Masyn Winn in it.
While neither has established himself offensively in the majors, both have speed that can cause problems at any level if and when they get on base.
Creating an avenue for that guided Marmol’s decision.
That and handedness.
Marmol put Scott at No. 8 and Winn at No. 9 to separate Scott and another left-handed bat, Brendan Donovan. Marmol said he wanted to give opponents something to consider before going with a lefty reliever in late innings who could pitch around Paul Goldschmidt and face three lefties in four at-bats. Also, getting a gap between Scott and the top of the lineup buys the speedy rookie more time to get into scoring position.
“It can be a lot of fun to watch (because) they do create havoc on the bases, and hopefully they do,” Marmol said. “And if you can divert that pitcher’s attention to something that is not the hitter, we’ve got some guys at the top who can do some real damage. It will be an exciting mix for sure. ... Scott will be able to have some more freedom to do what he needs to do — get in scoring position.”
Marmol was asked if Scott, who stole 94 bases and led the minors in his first full pro season, has the green light whenever on base.
“Scott will be ready to go,” Marmol said.
He sure was. When Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts rushed a throw in the fifth inning and committed the error that put Scott on base, it wasn’t long before Scott stood on second. He stole his first big league base after his first at-bat — with Winn taking the pitch to let it happen.
Opening day extras
Marmol plans to get every member of the roster into the starting lineup at some point during the opening series. That would include starts for Brandon Crawford, Matt Carpenter, Michael Siani and Ivan Herrera. The Cardinals expect to get Herrera and Willson Contreras into the same lineup at times against lefties. ... With their fourth opening day starts together as the Cardinals’ first and third basemen, respectively, Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado joined three other tandems with that many for the Cardinals. The others: Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen (four times), Keith Hernandez and Ken Reitz (four), and Bill White and Ken Boyer (five). ... Jordan Walker is the 11th player in major league history with multiple opening day starts before turning 22. The most recent member of the group is Jason Heyward, former Cardinals outfielder and the Dodgers’ starter in right field Thursday. ... This is the 10th time in 15 years the Cardinals have opened the regular season on the road. As an organization, they welcome doing that because of the chance of poor weather in Ƶ in late March and the confidence they’ll sell out the home opener because of its traditions even when it’s not the first game of the new season.