The Cardinals are placing infielder JJ Wetherholt on the 10-day injured list with right wrist tendinitis, according to a team announcement. Infielder Cesar Prieto is being recalled from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move.

According to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Wetherholt has experienced pain in his wrist for the last month or so, which he chalked up to a career-high workload. He attempted a rest-and-recovery approach to no affect, as the pain increased in recent days. Wetherholt, who went 0-for-4 in yesterday’s 6-2 loss to Pittsburgh, is scheduled to see a specialist in Arizona and hopes for a minimal IL stint.

St. Louis is one game under .500 at 68-69. They are 4.5 games back of the Padres for the final NL Wild Card spot, and the Diamondbacks and Marlins stand between the two clubs. FanGraphs gives the Redbirds just a 1.6% chance of making the playoffs, which is not too surprising considering they sold off a few players at the deadline. Recent injuries have only worsened those slim chances.

In the past two weeks, right-handers Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins landed on the IL for elbow inflammation and forearm tightness, respectively. The position players have been affected as well. Shortstop Masyn Winn went on the IL on August 25th (retroactive to the 22nd) with a left thumb fracture. Just yesterday, third baseman Blaze Jordan was placed on the IL for a left ankle sprain, which he suffered in Thursday’s game. He is out for a few weeks at a minimum.

Along with Winn and Jordan, Wetherholt is now the third starting infielder the Cardinals have lost to injury in the last week. He is also the most valuable player of the three. Having entered the season as a Top-100 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Wetherholt has batted .242/.343/.370 with 17 home runs, 14 steals, and a 104 wRC+ that checks in slightly above average. That’s a solid performance by any measure, and he’s backed it up with stellar defense. Wetherholt’s +21 Outs Above Average are well ahead of the Brewers’ Brice Turang (+12) for the best mark among second basemen.

In Wetherholt’s absence, the Cardinals can turn to José Fermín at the keystone. The 27-year-old utility player has more reps in left field and at third base, though he does have 11 games at second base this year. He avoids strikeouts pretty well and walks at a near-average 8.6% clip, though he doesn’t offer much in the way of power. Prieto and Ramón Urías may also factor in. Both struggled at the dish in limited samples.

Aside from the impact on his team, Wetherholt may also fall behind in the NL Rookie of the Year race. MLBTR’s Leo Morgenstern polled readers last week on that very race, and 40% of readers predicted the Reds’ Sal Stewart would win, compared to 39% voting for Wetherholt. While Stewart’s 2.6 fWAR lags behind Wetherholt’s 4.4, the former is a more productive hitter (120 wRC+ to Wetherholt’s 104) and leads the Senior Circuit with 104 runs batted in. With Wetherholt now set to miss time, Stewart could pull ahead in that race.

Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images (via Reuters Connect)