Cardinals’ depth could be tested: Gonzales, Cooney may face surgery

The organizational depth the St. Louis Cardinals believed they had has taken a hit.

Left-handers Marco Gonzales (elbow) and Tim Cooney (shoulder), who were expected to be in the rotation at Class AAA Memphis, could both be heading for surgeries.

General Manager John Mozeliak said the Cardinals are waiting to hear from Gonzales on his preference for treating what is either a completely torn or partially torn ligament. If it is completely torn, Tommy John surgery is imminent. If it is partially torn, Gonzales could instead spend his summer rehabilitating.

“We spoke Friday and he was still in discussion with his family and his agent to decide what the next step would like,” Mozeliak said. “It’s anything from a very conservative approach to something that could end up in surgery. There’s a lot of different options on the table right now for him.”

Mozeliak said he was hesitant to discuss treatment options for Gonzales “because I’m not sure directionally where he’s going to go.”

“Until I have that clarity, it’s hard for me to really answer,” he said.

“I think the way we try to do it is, obviously, our medical staff will help weigh in on this,” Mozeliak said. “But sometimes these do come down to ultimately what the player wants to do.”

Cooney’s shoulder didn’t feel right for most of spring training.

“He’s also on sort of a slow pattern right now,” Mozeliak said. “He wants to be patient and he’s going to go with a conservative approach in his rehab. In another two weeks, we’ll have a better idea if it’s working. For him, it feels fine one day and doesn’t feel fine the next. Unfortunately, it’s not the healthy treadmill you want to be on.”

Mozeliak said the Cardinals aren’t sure what is happening with Cooney’s shoulder.

“A lot of times what you hear with him is it just doesn’t feel quite right,” he said. “All the studies we’ve done, we can’t really identify what it is. So right now, we’re just going to be patient. ... It’s just been up and down for him. It’s a tough time to get stronger when you’re competing for jobs. The focus now is literally letting him have some quiet time.”

Mozeliak didn’t discount the significance of losing Gonzales and Cooney, but it’s not like the Cardinals haven’t had experience dealing with injuries.

“I think between Marco and Cooney, it’s definitely not where we thought we would be,” Mozeliak said. “So when you look at what we have going on in Memphis, it’s not as strong as what we thought we were going to be.

“But it’s not to say we’re in a panic mode by any means. Also, I think in the back of our minds we know we have somebody like (Alex) Reyes, who in a month or two could be available.”

Reyes, the Cardinals’ top prospect, is serving a 50-game suspension for testing positive for marijuana.

In other injury news:

▪ Outfielder Tommy Pham (left oblique strain) isn’t yet participating in any baseball activities.

“I do think he’s already looking toward the end of next week to hopefully get out and play,” Mozeliak said. “We’ll take it day by day. He’s feeling good about how he’s progressing. He will start to work on some fundamental things, like tracking (balls), that don’t require him having to swing. But he is hopeful that the moment he can hit the go button, he can push it a little bit.”

▪ Shortstop Ruben Tejada (left quad strain) is almost ready to begin a minor-league rehabilitation stint.

“Tejada’s moving fairly well,” Mozeliak said. “I would suspect probably by the end of this week, we’re already thinking about maybe some game activity.”

▪ Shortstop Jhonny Peralta (torn left thumb ligament) has had the hard cast removed and is wearing a splint.

“Even though he’s out of the cast, he’s not really relegated yet to pushing that too far,” Mozeliak said. “I would say probably in another week, week and a half, we’ll be able to really test strength and determine what it looks like. He probably could have stayed in that cast a little longer, but he was experiencing some discomfort. They decided to put him in a splint.”

Peralta isn’t likely to return until July.

“For me, it’s really tough,” Peralta said of being unable to play in the home opener. “It’s Opening Day here in St. Louis and I want to be there. I want to be playing short. But when something happens, something happens. I’ve got to be here to support the team.”

▪ Reliever Jordan Walden (right shoulder strain) is doing nothing.

“I think it’s going to be quiet,” Mozeliak said. “He understands what he’s got to do. Part of what he has to do is just take time.”

Reliever Mitch Harris (right elbow strain), catcher Brayan Pena (left knee surgery) and pitcher Lance Lynn (Tommy John surgery) also are on the disabled list.

Grichuk coming on

Center fielder Randal Grichuk appears to have figured out what wasn’t working when he opened the season 2-for-15.

Grichuk, who was 0-for-2 but coaxed a career-high three walks in a 12-7 win over Atlanta on Sunday, was 2-for-3 with a double, his first RBI and two more walks Monday in the Cardinals’ 10-1 romp of Milwaukee on Monday in their season opener.

“I don’t think I’ve walked this much in a month before,” Grichuk said. “I’m seeing it well right now. Hopefully, I’ll come back in Wednesday and continue.”

Grichuk is batting .167 (3-for-18).

This story was originally published April 11, 2016 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Cardinals’ depth could be tested: Gonzales, Cooney may face surgery."