Important Cardinals Outfielder Reportedly May Need Season-Ending Surgery

One Cardinals outfielder may have played his last game with St. Louis

The St. Louis Cardinals likely have been one of the most unlucky teams in baseball this season. 

St. Louis has dealt with a wide range of injuries this season and seemingly never has been fully healthy. Toward the beginning of the season, the club dealt with injuries to multiple pitchers. As the starting rotation started to get healthier, some offensive players began going down with injuries. All in all, the Cardinals have had a very difficult season injury-wise. 

The injuries continue to pile up for the Cardinals and now the club reportedly may be without the services of outfielder Dylan Carlson for the rest of the season, according to MLB.con's John Denton.

"Maybe no hard-luck player on the Cardinals roster typifies the kind of frustration-filled, sour season the team has been through than 24-year-old outfielder Dylan Carlson, who sat on the Cardinals’ bench on Saturday nursing not one but two injuries," Denton said. "To further add to Carlson’s frustration is this nugget of news: He told MLB.com that he might need season-ending ankle surgery in the coming weeks and his next game action could be as far off as Spring Training in 2024."

Carlson has had an up-and-down season for the Cardinals, to say the least. The 24-year-old has appeared in just 76 games due to injuries and a logjam in the outfield and has slashed .219/.318/.333 to go along with five home runs and 27 RBIs. Carlson also found his name in trade rumors for much of the season but wasn't dealt ahead of the 2023 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline. There has been plenty of speculation that Carlson could find himself playing elsewhere next season but his trade value may be negatively impacted by a season-ending injury. 

At this point, there's no way for sure to know if Carlson will miss the rest of the season. If he does miss the rest of the 2023 campaign, he may have already played his last game as a member of the Cardinals. 

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