Cardinals’ never-ending Steven Matz injury saga takes another frustrating turn

After multiple false starts returning to action for the St. Louis Cardinals, Steven Matz looked like he was finally ready having thrown three perfect innings in a rehab start on June 16. Then his back said, "Psych!"

Matz experienced back soreness following that outstanding rehab showing. On Saturday, Oli Marmol confirmed he will be shut down for two more weeks. He will have to restart his throwing program from scratch, per John Denton of MLB.com, extending his absence by at least another six weeks.

Even though Matz wasn't throwing particularly well before his injury, the Cardinals have missed him in the rotation. Finding a fifth starter has been a struggle. Plugging that hole has forced them to pull from the bullpen, weakening their relief options. At the moment, Andre Pallante is filling in and he'll have to keep doing that for the foreseeable future.

Steven Matz injury update: Setback makes Cardinals trade deadline plans more critical

The Cardinals have managed to stabilize after a miserable start to the season but they're still six games back in the NL Central. The Wild Card race remains tight with a slew of .500-ish teams competing for a postseason place, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants.

St. Louis is living on the edge every week they go without clarity around the fifth starter and Matz' injury saga isn't doing them any favors. The Cardinals will have to assess their options at the MLB trade deadline without knowing for sure what they'll get out of Matz when, or even if, he returns.

The current timeline would have Matz back on the mound at the beginning of August. After multiple setbacks with back tightness though, the Cardinals could get burned by depending on Matz being able to return at all. When he does get back, they'll need him to be much better than his 6.18 ERA and 1-2 record in six appearances this season.