Tim

Cooney

Cooney missed all of this past season with a shoulder issue and the Cards letting him go might suggest that they don’t think he’s going to bounce back physically. He showed promise before the injury with a 3.16 ERA in six starts for St. Louis in 2015 and a career 3.35 mark in the minors. If he can stay healthy, it could be a shrewd pickup by the Indians.

Cooney had surgery in July to remove a calcium deposit from the back of his left shoulder. It’s an injury and subsequent surgery that caused him to miss all of 2016 and surely the reason the Cardinals exposed him to waivers. While it sounds like he might get a late start to 2017, Cooney could wind up being a nice waiver addition by the Indians if he can bounce back physically.

Cooney’s spring training ended before it started when he suffered a strained forearm early on in camp. He could be on the shelf until late May.

In other words, he has a strained forearm. Cooney missed all of last season with shoulder issues and will now get a late start to 2017. The left-hander was claimed off waivers by the Indians back in November.

Cooney missed all of last season with shoulder issues and then suffered a flexor strain this spring. He showed some promise before the injury problems, so someone will take a shot on him and wait out his rehab.

Cooney was released by the Indians just before Opening Day. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Columbus and placed on the disabled list with a flexor strain. Cooney missed all of last season with a shoulder injury after making his big league debut for the Cardinals in 2015.

Cooney has been out all season with a sore left shoulder, but he’s resumed throwing off a mound and the Cardinals have been encouraged by his progress. He obviously won’t be an option for the big league rotation for a while, but the Cards will enjoy having him as depth once he’s up to full speed.

It was the fourth complete game of Cooney’s career and his second nine-inning shutout. 69 of his 108 pitches went for strikes. The 24-year-old is having a remarkable year. He leads the Pacific Coast League in WHIP (0.84) and ranks fifth in ERA (2.55). The 24-year-old struggled in his big league debut back in April (2 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 ER) but he should get another chance before long.

Aside from a Taylor Teagarden RBI single in the fifth inning, Cooney was largely spotless against the division rival. The southpaw walked one while striking out three. He left in line for his first big league victory, but the bullpen failed to hold the lead. With Jaime Garcia still sidelined, Cooney will get one more start before the All-Star break. He’ll take a 3.95 ERA and 1.32 WHIP into Sunday’s start against the Pirates.

Cooney walked four but surrendered only three hits in his best major league start to date. The game went 18 innings and the Mets came away victorious. Cooney will probably get one more turn in the Cardinals’ rotation before he has to give up his spot to the rehabbing Jaime Garcia. That start would be next weekend against the Braves.