St. Louis Cardinals Gold Glover Tommy Edman is nearing his season debut after undergoing offseason wrist surgery in October. He will return to a crowded outfield and has the ability to fill a significant hole on the squad. He will be the most recent of several crucial players to return from the IL in the last month.
Cardinals’ Tommy Edman Nearing Return
Edman has not played in a game since 2023 due to postseason wrist surgery. He began his rehab assignment on Tuesday with the Cardinals’ Double-A affiliate in Springfield, Missouri. He will play both infield and outfield throughout his rehab, which is expected to span a few weeks.
“Now it’s going to be ramping him up, getting him to game speed,” Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak told KMOX radio on Sunday. “We have to be patient, and we have to approach it as if he needed a mini-Spring Training. Game activity and live BP are the only things that cannot be replicated.
Mozeliak expects Edman to return after the All-Star break, perhaps in July. Edman went 1-for-3 with an RBI single in his debut for Springfield.
Cardinals Need a Right-Handed Bat
This season, the Cardinals’ outfield has featured several unexpected standouts. Alec Burleson has shown to be one of the league’s greatest hitters after taking over the starting role. Michael Siani has played respectable offense alongside some of the league’s greatest defense. Brendan Donovan has delivered in crucial situations and put up solid numbers.
Despite this, there is a significant gap in their outfield rotation: Dylan Carlson is the only player who can deliver a right-handed at-bat. Of the five outfielders on the roster, he has expressed the least excitement about this season. Carlson is a switch-hitter, while Burleson, Sianni, Donovan, and the freshly activated Lars Nootbaar are all left-handed. Edman would be the Cardinals’ greatest choice as a right-handed hitter.
Former top prospect Jordan Walker was anticipated to be a major right-handed bat in the outfield, but his difficulties early this season have landed him in Triple-A. The Cardinals are 32-33 against right-handed starters and 16-11 against lefties. The Cardinals have the sixth-highest batting average (.252) against righties in the MLB. They have the second-worst batting average against lefties (.223).
Edman is a switch hitter whose stats are roughly equal when batting left and right. He hit.248 against right-handed pitching in 2023. Over his career, he has a.261 batting average against righties.
Latest in a String of Returning Starters
If Edman returns after the All-Star break as projected, he will be the third presumed starter to come off the injured list in approximately a month. It began with catcher Willson Contreras, followed by Nootbaar. Mozeliak stated that it changes the nature of the offense.
“From that standpoint, the everyday club is going to change from what it’s looked like the past few months,” Mozeliak told a crowd on Sunday.
While it complicates the lineup, it is also exhilarating for a Cardinals club on the rise. Oliver Marmol, the team’s manager, expressed his excitement to reporters about the team’s improved health in preparation for Nootbaar’s comeback.
“It’s exciting to have him back,” Marmol stated. “The team is performing well; injecting a talented player into a successful team is a good thing. So we’re thrilled about it.”
