Cardinals' Nolan Arenado Stirs Up Drama With Late Scratch

UPDATE: Unsurprisingly, Nolan Arenado's late scratch wasn't as dramatic as social media would've made you think. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold shared that he was scratched due to back spasms.

"Nolan Arenado was scratched due to back spasms, per Cardinals official," Goold said.

ORIGINAL STORY: The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to complete a sweep over the Pittsburgh Pirates but there was a bit of drama on Wednesday afternoon.

St. Louis welcomed the Pirates to Busch Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 1:15 p.m. ET. One thing that stood out, though, was the fact that the Cardinals scratched superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado from the lineup shortly before first pitch, as shared by a handful of team reporters, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold and MLB.com's John Denton.

"Nolan Arenado has been scratched from the lineup," Goold said. "Nolan Gorman will replace him at 3B. There will be a reshuffling around the middle of the order. No reason was given immediately for the scratch."

"Nolan Arenado has been scratched from today's lineup and Nolan Gorman will start at third base for the Cardinals," Denton said. "No reason given yet by the club for Arenado's absence. Willson Contreras moves up to the cleanup spot, Alec Burleson hits fifth and Gorman hits sixth."

Arenado's late scratch without a reason certainly caused a stir on social media. With all of the trade rumors around him this season and throughout the offseason, people immediately jumped to the idea of a possible move. As of writing, it hasn't been revealed yet why Arenado was scratched, but the reason likely is much less dramatic than people on social media have suggested. We should find out more in the near future, though.