A week ago the Cardinals shut down pitcher Carlos Martinez with some non-specific shoulder issue. This came after a season in which Martinez battled oblique and shoulder injuries. It also caused Cards GM John Mozeliak to make some comments suggesting that the Cardinals were unhappy with Martinez for not adhering to his offseason conditioning and rehab programs.
In light of all of that, this tweet from Mark Saxon of The Athletic is not great:
Carlos Martinez’s right arm is now in a sling. Not sure what that means, medically, but this thing is not trending well.
— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) February 26, 2019
Martinez was moved to the bullpen when he returned from the disabled list last August, finishing the season as a reliever. At this point, one wonders if he’ll even be doing that in 2019.
More updates soon, I presume.
UPDATE: “PRP” is “platelet-rich plasma.” So this is apparently a product of the treatment for his shoulder.
Mike Shildt says Carlos Martinez will be shut down for two more weeks after a PRP shot. Second opinion findings were similar to the first, says Shildt. Role upon return still yet to be determined. #STLCards
— Brenden Schaeffer🎳 (@bschaeffer12) February 26, 2019