Cardinals All-Star Might Have Suffered Career-Ending Injury With Latest IL Stint

The St. Louis hurler could be moving on after this season

Apr 7, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the National Anthem before Opening Day between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are mathematically eliminated from postseason contention, so the club must avoid incurring any meaningless injuries to close out 2024.

The Cardinals have already sidelined catcher Willson Contreras for the rest of the year after he suffered a broken middle finger from a hit-by-pitch in August.

Sadly, another St. Louis veteran's season has come to an end after battling a nagging injury but unlike Contreras, this Cardinals player might not return in 2025.

Cardinals right-handed pitcher Lance Lynn was placed on the 15-day injured list after working to overcome right knee inflammation, the organization announced Wednesday before playing the Pittsburgh Pirates for the second-to-last time this year.

Lynn has been dealing with the same ailment in his right knee since the end of July when he endured pitching through five innings of excruciating pain against the Texas Rangers.

Despite successfully returning to the rotation on Sept. 11 against the National League Central-rival Cincinnati Reds, Lynn's knee is evidently still acting up, prompting the IL stint.

The two-time All-Star's contract has a club option for 2025, so Lynn's return to Busch Stadium next season is uncertain. He'll be 38 next May and has struggled to stay healthy over the last few years.

It's quite possible that Lynn's most recent outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday could have been his last as a Major League Baseball pitcher.

Fortunately, if Tuesday's outing was Lynn's last, he went out with a bang -- giving up only one earned run on four hits, two walks and five strikeouts in six innings pitched for the Cardinals.

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