ST. LOUIS – The season for one of the St. Louis Cardinals’ offseason additions comes to an end before it really ever began.
Relief pitcher Keynan Middleton is set to undergo season-ending flexor tendon surgery in the near future.
Middleton signed a one-year deal, $6 million with the Cardinals ahead of spring training that also came with a 2025 club option.
Middleton suffered a right forearm strain sometime in March during undisclosed matters. Prior to then, he tossed three scoreless innings in spring action.
Sometime after he reportedly returned from an out-of-state trip to coach a state high school basketball game in mid-March, that’s when the Cardinals learned of his injury. His recovery hasn’t progressed as well as the Cardinals have hoped, leading to his season-ending surgery.
“Not having him hurts, so we have to figure out a way around that, and other guys have to step up,” said Cardinals manager Oli Marmol via Bally Sports Midwest ahead of Tuesday’s game.
The Cardinals have not yet disclosed what Middleton’s injury may mean for the potential of exercising the club option next year.
Middleton has spent time with five teams over seven MLB seasons with a career 10-8 record, 3.84 ERA and 15 saves over 205 games. Middleton joined the New York Yankees at last year’s trade deadline and pitched to a 1.88 ERA with 17 strikeouts over 12 games.
The Cardinals’ bullpen stands near the middle of the pack in team ERA (3.84), though Ryan Helsley and JoJo Romero have provided stability from the back end. Helsley leads the National League in saves with 19.