Cardinals Manager 'Cautiously Optimistic' On Ryne Stanek Avoiding IL

Stanek suffered an ankle injury and was forced out of Game 1 of the doubleheader after a scary collision with Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz. The 34-year-old hurler joined the Cardinals on a one-year, $3.5 million contract this offseason, with a $6 million option for 2027, and has been a key piece out of the bullpen.

Though his inconsistency and a 4.93 ERA have kept St. Louis from using him in high-leverage situations often, Stanek has made 39 appearances out of the bullpen this season. The right-handed pitcher was in the middle of an impressive stretch of four scoreless outings before giving up a run during his outing against the Brewers.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol confirmed on Tuesday that Stanek was dealing with a right ankle injury but is "cautiously optimistic" that the 34-year-old reliever will avoid going on the injured list.

"Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol confirmed that Stanek is dealing with a right ankle injury," MLB.com's Brenden Schaeffer wrote. "Stanek had a wrap on his right ankle in the clubhouse following the game and acknowledged it felt stiff. As of Tuesday night, Marmol seemed cautiously optimistic about Stanek avoiding an IL stint, though he expected to get a better idea on the right-hander's status when he comes in on Wednesday."

Though it remains unclear how long Stanek will be out of action, Marmol himself hopes that all it will take is a few days of rest and the 10-year veteran will be back on the mound.

“He’s going to need a couple days down,” Marmol said, per Schaeffer. “We’ll see how he comes in tomorrow, but our hope is we can give him a couple [days] and he’ll be ready after that.”

The Cardinals' bullpen has struggled this season, ranking in the bottom third of the league with a 4.32 bullpen ERA. Losing Stanek for any significant period of time would be a major blow to St. Louis' bullpen, especially as the team decides how to handle the upcoming trade deadline.