Cardinals Reliever Reportedly Set To Miss Rest Of 2023 Season After Receiving Rough News

St. Louis reportedly will be without one of its relievers until 2024

The St. Louis Cardinals reportedly won't get back one of their relief pitchers this season.

St. Louis left-handed relief pitcher Packy Naughton reportedly will miss the rest of the 2023 season after reportedly undergoing surgery to repair his throwing elbow, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Lynn Worthy. 

Naughton only was able to make four appearances with the Cardinals in the 2023 season and didn't allow a run across five innings of work. The 27-year-old recorded five strikeouts while walking just one batter. 

The tall lefty was drafted in the ninth round of the 2017 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Cincinnati Reds and made his professional debut the same year with the Billings Mustangs. Naughton was acquired by the Los Angeles Angels toward the end of the 2020 season and eventually made his big league debut with the club in 2021. 

Naughton joined the Cardinals in 2022 after being designated for assignment by the Angels and he made 26 appearances last season while pitching to a 4.78 ERA. The lefty recorded 31 strikeouts while walking just seven batters. There's no way to know if he would've played a large role with the Cardinals in 2023, but it's certainly disappointing that he will miss the remainder of the season. 

St. Louis has just two healthy left-handed pitchers on the active roster right now in Genesis Cabrera and former starter Steven Matz so Naughton could've been an important piece in the St. Louis bullpen. Hopefully, Naughton can recover smoothly and help the club in 2024. 

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