Cardinals outfield takes a hit with Harrison Bader injury news

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Harrison Bader is going on the IL with a broken rib.

As if the St. Louis Cardinals could have afforded another injury in their depleted outfield, Harrison Bader is going on the 10-day IL after suffering a hairline fracture in one of his ribs.

Bader suffered the injury making an incredible catch on Nick Madrigal in the Cardinals’ series opener vs. the Chicago White Sox on Monday. The corresponding move made by St. Louis has the Cardinals calling up first baseman/outfielder John Nogowski from AAA Memphis. He will be available for Tuesday night’s game vs. Chicago after making the plane ride up from AAA Gwinnett.

This is the latest injury negatively impacting the Cardinals’ outfield depth. How will they adjust?

St. Louis Cardinals: Harrison Bader is going on the IL with a fractured rib

Bader’s injury comes off the heels of Tyler O’Neill fracturing his finger, as well as seeing a pair of AAA Memphis outfielders Austin Dean and Scott Hurst being on the mend, too. Look for Dylan Carlson to start for the Redbirds in centerfield with some combination of Nogowski, Lane Thomas and Justin Williams manning the two other outfield spots. They have been decimated out there.

St. Louis enters play on Tuesday night with a 26-21 record on the season. The Cardinals hold a 1.5-game lead over the arch rival Chicago Cubs in the NL Central race. While they have a stacked roster elsewhere, you do not want to see the overall lack of outfield depth become an Achilles heel for this team, whether that be at the plate, in the field or even on the base path. This is a big issue.

Hopefully, Bader can return to the Cardinals lineup sooner rather than later from his broken rib.