Cardinals place Jack Flaherty on injured list with oblique strain

In an extremely rough development for the Cardinals, right-handed starter Jack Flaherty has been placed on the 10-day injured list with what manager Mike Shildt referred to as a “significant” oblique injury. Shildt says there’s no timetable for the 25-year-old starter’s return:

Flaherty has been dominant in 2021, posting a 2.90 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP, 67 strikeouts, and 20 walks through 11 starts (62 innings). He suffered the injury in Monday night’s loss to the Dodgers, exiting after five innings. Flaherty hit in the top of the sixth and looked to be in pain after fouling off a pitch, though he said he initially felt oblique tightness in the bottom of the fifth.

Right-hander Johan Oviedo was recalled from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move, and he could replace Flaherty in the Cardinals’ starting five, though relievers Daniel Ponce de Leon and Jake Woodford are also candidates to join the rotation.