Dylan Carlson's injury might be worse than Cardinals initially feared

The St. Louis Cardinals are already dealing with more than their fair share of injury issues. Tommy Edman, Sonny Gray, Lars Nootbaar, and Keynan Middleton have all begun the season on the injured list.

To make matters worse, outfielder Dylan Carlson suffered a shoulder injury toward the end of spring training and joined the Cardinals injured stars on the IL. The young outfielder tripped over Jordan Walker while running for a ball in the gap and landed awkwardly on his left shoulder.

Unfortunately for St. Louis, Carlson has yet to even begin baseball-related activities. According to John Denton of MLB.com, Carlson has received a cortisone shot but has only done strengthening exercises so far.

Cardinals get more bad news on Carlson

Unfortunately, the Cardinals continue to get bad news on Carlson.

The young outfielder had a strong spring and even initially earned the starting job in center field for Opening Day. The 25-year-old hit .271 with three home runs and 13 RBI over 18 spring games. His injury ultimately gave way for top prospect Victor Scott II.

With Nootbaar and Edman out, losing Carlson was yet another stroke of bad luck for the Cardinals. They will need him to return sooner rather than later to fill the holes in their outfield.

The current outfield configuration features Brendan Donovan in left field, Scott in center, and Walker in right field, with Michael Siani and Alec Burleson as the backup options.

Carlson is a switch hitter and provides elite defense out in center field. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year race in 2021 after making his debut late in 2020.

The 25-year-old has struggled to stay healthy due to ankle and wrist issues over the past several years. So far, 2024 has proven to be no different for the speedy young outfielder.

The Cardinals will certainly hope he can return to full strength soon and begin his baseball activities.