Well, it looks like some familiar firepower is headed back to the hot corner in St. Louis. Cardinals star Nolan Arenado, the 10-time Gold Glove third baseman and veteran anchor of the infield, is set to rejoin the Cardinals on Monday—and yes, there’s a very real chance he’s in the lineup that night when the Redbirds open their series against the Reds. That news comes straight from MLB.com’s John Denton, and for Cardinals fans, it’s a rare sliver of good news in what’s been a rollercoaster of a season.
Nolan Arenado has been out more than Six Weeks
Now, Arenado hasn’t played in the majors since August 1, thanks to a nagging right shoulder strain. He spent the past few days getting his reps in with Double-A Springfield—just a quick two-game stint—but manager Oli Marmol says he’ll use Sunday to rest and head back to St. Louis. Translation? Monday is go time.
Before the rehab stint, Arenado had been working his way back at the Cardinals’ Spring Training facility in Jupiter, Florida. After about six weeks out, the 34-year-old appears ready to step back in—even if the numbers weren’t exactly sparkling before the injury. He was hitting just .235 with 10 home runs and a .366 slugging percentage, a far cry from his usual All-Star-level production. But let’s not forget, even in a down year, Arenado’s glove is still gold, and his leadership in a clubhouse full of rising prospects matters just as much as any stat line.
No one has filled Arenado’s Shoes well
In his absence, Nolan Gorman filled in at third—but hit only .211, with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs. And now, with just 13 games left in the season and the Cardinals limping along at 72-77, the math says the postseason dream isn’t technically dead. But FanGraphs has their playoff odds at a soul-crushing 0.5%. Yikes.
So, what’s the point of Arenado coming back at all? Well, for starters, pride. Arenado had his worst offensive season to date in 2025. Maybe he wants to show it was due to injury rather than age catching up with him. Or possibly professionalism, particularly for a guy who exercised his no-trade clause and forced the Cardinals to keep him. Maybe he feels like he owes the organization for stopping them from loading up on prospects that would’ve come in a trade. As a fan, I’d rather see a prospect get those at-bats, but that’s just me. Let me know if you agree or disagree in the comments.
