Cardinals’ Jaime Garcia Suffers Setback

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

After a long recovery which had prevented him from pitching since May 17 of last year, St. Louis Cardinals left-handed starter Jaime Garcia had to be excited about taking the mound Sunday, even if it was just a rehab start with the Springfield Cardinals. Unfortunately, Garcia suffered one of his infamous setbacks during Sunday’s start, and now his path back to the majors is unknown.

Garcia was hit in the right shoulder/side area with a pitch and had to leave the game. It’s not immediately known as to how serious the injury is, but he was taken to get x-rays as a precaution. The 27-year-old hadn’t exactly pitched well prior to exiting the game, either; he gave up three hits, including a homer, which turned into two earned runs over two innings. Obviously he gets a break in his first official action in more than a year, but it would have been nice to see him come out and immediately be effective again.

With starter Joe Kelly being injured and the bullpen lacking depth, the Cardinals were counting on Garcia’s successful return more than they probably anticipated initially. The team has to be hoping that the injury is just a bruise so that they can restore some stability to their pitching staff sooner than later.