Cardinals left-hander Packy Naughton exited a recent appearance with the team’s Triple-A affiliate with an apparent elbow injury. Naughton missed badly while delivering a 1-1 pitch and immediately clutched his elbow (video link). That naturally prompted a visit from the trainer, and the southpaw left the game shortly thereafter. Per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Naughton has been diagnosed with a UCL injury and is seeking a second opinion.
There’s more bad injury news down in Memphis. The team announced Monday that right-hander Richard Fitts is headed to the injured list after suffering a lat strain while pitching with the Redbirds. A timetable for his return isn’t clear, but lat strains often come with significant layoffs.
A UCL injury is an awful development for any pitcher but is particularly heartbreaking for Naughton, who hasn’t been able to catch a break when it comes to his healthy. He underwent Tommy John surgery in high school and has since undergone flexor tendon surgery (2023) and UCL surgery (2024). He signed a two-year minor league pact with the Cardinals in November of 2024 and missed the entire 2025 season mending from that second UCL surgery. He pitched just 2 1/3 frames with Memphis this season and now appears to be facing a third UCL procedure as he approaches his 30th birthday later this week.
Naughton has pitched in parts of three major league seasons, totaling 59 2/3 frames between the Angels and Cardinals. He was a ninth-round pick by the Reds back in 2017 and has been consistently effective in the minors when healthy. He has a 3.63 ERA in 476 minor league frames, including a 3.84 mark in Triple-A. His 4.98 earned run average in the big leagues is obviously a lesser mark, though it’s impacted in part by a lofty .330 average on balls in play. Naughton’s 18% strikeout rate in the majors is well below average, but his 8.3% walk rate is solid and his 51% ground-ball rate is quite strong.
Though many associate MLB’s ever-increasing rash of pitcher injuries with the game’s rapid rise in velocity over the past decade-plus, Naughton stands as a reminder that elbow troubles can take their toll on any pitcher. He’s averaged 91.8 mph on his sinker in his big league career and was sitting 91.9 mph in his brief return to the mound in Memphis this season.
Naughton isn’t on the Cardinals’ 40-man roster, but a strong return effort this season would have put him in line for a return to the majors. The Cards currently have JoJo Romero, Justin Bruihl and Jared Shuster as left-handed options in the ‘pen. Romero is a trade candidate as he navigates his final season of club control. Bruihl came to St. Louis in a cash swap with Cleveland after being designated for assignment in the offseason. Shuster is a minor league signee whose contract was just selected to the majors last week.
As for Fitts, he’s yet to make his Cardinals debut. The 26-year-old was acquired from the Red Sox in the trade that sent Sonny Gray to Boston this past offseason. He’s started 14 major league games and made one relief appearance, working to an overall 3.97 ERA in 65 2/3 innings.
Fitts entered camp this spring competing for a rotation spot. He had a rough showing and was optioned to Memphis but would’ve likely been the next man up had the Cardinals incurred an injury at the MLB level. He’s been excellent in Triple-A to start the season, posting a sub-2.00 ERA in his first 15 1/3 innings.
The Cardinals currently have Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy, Dustin May and Andre Pallante in their major league rotation. Righty Hunter Dobbins — who also came over from the Red Sox via a separate trade this winter (Willson Contreras) — opened the season on the injured list while rehabbing the ACL tear he suffered last July. Fitts now joins prospects Tekoah Roby (Tommy John surgery last July) and Cooper Hjerpe (Tommy John surgery last April) on the minor league injured list.
That slate of injuries leaves the Cardinals with a thin rotation mix. Given the team’s struggles in the rotation to open the season, that’s all the more problematic. St. Louis starting pitchers have combined for a 4.92 ERA to begin the season — the fifth-worst mark in the majors. The rotation’s 13.6% strikeout rate is far and away the worst in baseball, which has led ERA alternatives to paint an even less optimistic picture. Cardinals starters rank 29th in SIERA (4.84) and 30th in Statcast’s expected ERA (6.02).
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