Cardinals third baseman Arenado begins rehab games after shoulder strain

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado mentioned that if given another chance, he would have placed himself on the injured list immediately after the finger injury. He has spent much of his career playing while injured and overlooking small issues, but this finger injury ultimately caused a shoulder strain that greatly diminished his batting strength.

Arenado said, “If I could go back, I probably would have rested when I hurt my finger—that might be the biggest mistake I made.” Since going on the injured list on August 1 due to a right shoulder strain, this is his second return to the Cardinals. “If I could turn back time, I would have gone on the injured list for that finger injury. In Cleveland (June 27–29), I was hitting well and starting to feel better, then my finger got jammed, and things went downhill from there.”

“I think that’s my biggest regret, but usually I play through pain because that’s what you’re taught to do. That was my error—I don’t think I assessed myself properly, and it put me in a bit of a slump.”

The 34-year-old Arenado hopes to return to the Cardinals’ starting lineup in the final two weeks of the season to prove to the team and himself that after five weeks away from the field, his shoulder has healed and he can perform well again. Currently, Arenado plans to participate in pregame workouts with the Cardinals this weekend and then join the Double-A Springfield Cardinals for a six-day rehab assignment starting Wednesday. If his health holds up, he aims to rejoin the Cardinals’ starting lineup on September 15 against the Reds.

“I just need to get out there, show who I am, prove that I’m healthy, and hit strong again,” Arenado said, with two years remaining on his contract with the Cardinals. “These are the things I have to do and what I’m truly focused on accomplishing.”

Arenado, a 10-time Gold Glove winner and 8-time All-Star, experienced the worst power slump of his career before going on the injured list. His offensive numbers in 2025 hit historic lows. Before leaving, the third baseman went 25 games without a home run—just shy of his career worst streak of 29 games, which he had twice before.

This season, Arenado recorded career lows in batting average (.235), on-base percentage (.294), slugging percentage (.366), and OPS (.660) over his 13 years in the major leagues. He missed two games in July due to a sprained right index finger and skipped two more games before the MLB All-Star Game on July 12–13 because of shoulder discomfort. His stats dropped sharply in July, hitting just .175 with no home runs and only 2 RBIs, before being placed on the injured list in early August due to injury issues.

“My body hasn’t felt great this year, but it’s not like an age-related injury; it’s more that my finger got jammed, which caused a chain reaction to my shoulder,” he said. “When I hit the ball with the end of the bat, the vibration travels to my finger, causing it to swell. Then, my shoulder has had tendonitis. I haven’t played well, but I don’t want to use that as an excuse. I’ve played through worse injuries before, but this time, I just couldn’t make the right swing and adjustments.”

Arenado joked that his rehab games in Springfield will be his first minor league games since his rehab stint with the Rockies in 2014.

Arenado said, “I’ve been healthy for most of my career, so I try to look at this experience as no big deal.”