The St. Louis Cardinals placed pitcher Jack Flaherty on the 15-day injured list because of a right shoulder strain and center fielder Harrison Bader on the 10-day injured list because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot, the team announced on Monday.
Flaherty, 26, has made only three starts this season because of shoulder inflammation, posting a 5.63 ERA. He left his latest outing on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs after just two innings. He has worked through injuries for the better part of two years, making a total of just 18 starts.
Manager Oliver Marmol described Flaherty’s issue to reporters as a “dead arm” instead of a continuation of any previous injury.
Bader, 28, is hitting .256 with five home runs, 21 RBIs and a .673 OPS this season.
The Cardinals called up two rookies to take the place of Flaherty and Bader, as right-hander James Naile and outfielder Conner Capel will make their major league debuts when called upon. They would be the Cardinals’ 10th and 11th players to do so this season, second only to the Pittsburgh Pirates (12).
Despite a spate of injuries this season, St. Louis is just a game out of first place in the National League Central while holding one of the three wild-card positions.