Feb 25, 2026; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Richard Fitts (35) misses a pop-up that was ruled an infield single in the second inning against the New York Mets at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Cardinals Get Unfortunate Injury News for Pitching Prospect Richard Fitts

Originally posted on St. Louis Cardinals on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Apr 13, 2026 12:54 PM ET

The St. Louis Cardinals opted to rebuild their roster this year, which included a trio of trades at the trade deadline last season and four big trades during the most recent offseason.

During the offseason, the Cardinals traded Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, Nolan Arenado, and Brendan Donovan in exchange for a huge return of prospects. In the Gray trade, the Cardinals landed a high floor pitching prospect, Richard Fitts, who was seemingly eyeing an impact role in St. Louis as soon as this season.

After getting off to a good start in Triple-A with the Cardinals, Fitts hit a roadblock.

Richard Fitts headed to injured list at Triple-A level

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Cardinals reporter Jeff Jones recently reported that Fitts was headed to the injured list in Triple-A with a right lat strain. This is a big blow to the Cardinals' pitching depth, as Fitts has been very productive in a handful of starts at the Triple-A level this season.

Fitts is going to miss a week, if not much longer, with this injury. Lat strains can linger and cause pitchers to miss weeks, if not months. Considering it's his throwing side, the Cardinals will likely be without him for a lot longer than they'd like.

This injury is certainly concerning for the Cardinals, but it shouldn't scare them for the long-term. Fitts has a bright future with St. Louis.

Richard Fitts has a bright future with the Cardinals

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Fitts made three starts and 15 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level this season before the injury. In these three starts, Fitts allowed 13 hits and three runs while walking six batters and striking out 11. He's very productive and very consistent. He might not have the upside that pitching prospects like Noah Schultz, Jacob Misiorowski, and Chase Burns have, but he has a high floor.

Fitts was likely headed for a spot with the big league club in the near future before the injury. The Cardinals' rotation isn't a dominant unit right now, which means Fitts was likely knocking on the door of a call up.

Either way, he has a bright future with the Cardinals. They brought him in for a reason. The Cardinals need him to get healthy as soon as possible.

This article first appeared on St. Louis Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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