Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals' Nolan Arenado Stirs Up Drama With Late Scratch

The Cardinals superstar was scratched late before Wednesday's tilt...
Patrick McAvoy|
May 6, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) fields a ground ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
May 6, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) fields a ground ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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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.

More MLB: Cardinals-Yankees Blockbuster Trade Rumors Get Definitive Update

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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