Things have gone from bad to worse for St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez.
The 27-year-old's throwing program has been put on hold after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right shoulder, according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com. Cardinals skipper Mike Schildt said the latest MRI was "very, very similar" to the first one, and the team expects Martinez to resume throwing in two weeks.
The club will re-evaluate his status on March 12, according to Mark Saxon of The Athletic.
He had shown up to the clubhouse on Tuesday with his right arm in a sling. The two-time All-Star was away from the team on Monday to seek a second medical opinion, according to Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Martinez was originally shut down from throwing last week as he experienced problems with his shoulder, resulting in some critical comments from president of baseball operations John Mozeliak.
Martinez battled oblique and shoulder issues throughout 2018. Though he was limited to 118 2/3 innings, Martinez was effective, going 8-6 with a 3.11 ERA and 1.34 WHIP.
After being activated from the disabled list in late August, he pitched exclusively out of the bullpen to finish the season.
Anticipated to slot in as the Cardinals' ace for 2019, his prognosis for the start of the season is now unclear and his role in the pitching staff has been similarly muddied.
If he's unable to pitch at the beginning of the campaign, rotation depth is arguably one of St. Louis' greatest strengths. Miles Mikolas received down-ballot Cy Young votes last season; Jack Flaherty was a Rookie of the Year candidate; Alex Reyes, Michael Wacha, and Adam Wainwright are all available in addition to right-handed prospect Dakota Hudson, who mostly served as a reliever in his 2018 debut.
