Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado. © Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Cardinals Announce Nolan Arenado News After 40 Missed Games

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin Groe | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 3:33 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals have fallen out of postseason contention in September, entering Monday with a four-game deficit for the final NL wild card spot and just two weeks remaining.

With the team leaning toward a rebuild, the status of its aging stars—most notably Nolan Arenado—remains in question for the near future. Although Arenado has appeared in trade rumors for much of the season, he ultimately remained in St. Louis and has had the worst season of his 13-year career.

In the month of July, Arenado posted a .175 batting average, .440 OPS and zero home runs over 16 games, signaling that his nagging right shoulder pain had to be addressed. He had been rehabbing at the team’s spring training facility on the injured list in August.

Nolan Arenado Injury Update

After uncertainty over whether Arenado would return to play this season, he was recently cleared by team doctors in St. Louis and went out on a rehab assignment with the anticipation of returning to the lineup for the final two weeks. That came to fruition on Monday ahead of the Cardinals’ series opener against the Cincinnati Reds at home.

The team announced on X, “INF Nolan Arenado has been activated from the 10-day IL. INF José Fermín has been optioned to Memphis (AAA).”

INF Nolan Arenado has been activated from the 10-day IL.

INF José Fermín has been optioned to Memphis (AAA). pic.twitter.com/Qri9CVGEdn
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) September 15, 2025

Arenado’s return may not play a huge role in the standings, but if this is the final time he plays for St. Louis, it’s meaningful that fans get to see the All-Star third baseman for one final homestand. Although this year has been a disappointment, Arenado has had a successful tenure with the Cardinals.

Over the last five seasons, he has helped lead the franchise to multiple playoff appearances and added to his personal list of accomplishments, capturing three All-Star selections, two Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger Award.

Arenado’s future is unknown, but he’ll look to prove he still has some juice left in the tank as he enters his late 30s.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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