The St. Louis Cardinals had a major scare recently.
Opening Day is right around the corner and the St. Louis Cardinals are considered by many to be the favorites in the National League Central despite a disappointing 2023 campaign.
One of the biggest reasons why many expect a better season from the Cardinals is the fact that they were able to improve their rotation by signing three-time All-Star Sonny Gray early in free agency.
Gray recently suffered a hamstring injury which immediately made people nervous. If Gray misses significant time this season, the perception around the club completely changes. Some even have wondered if the club will make another addition.
While this is the case, Gray seems to have avoided serious injury and has been making great progress, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold.
"Sonny Gray (hamstring) recovered well from throwing off the mound Monday," Goold said. "He'll throw a side session -- similar to what he would do between starts -- on Thursday in Jupiter and depending on how he feels after it, the Cardinals will make a call on game, live batting practice, next outing."
The fact that Gray has recovered well from his recent throwing session at least gives hope that he could be back very quickly. He still has milestones he needs to reach in his recovery but he seems to be on track.
There's certainly a chance he misses Opening Day, but it doesn't sound like he will miss much time after that if all things continue to move in the direction they have so far.
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