Packy Naughton’s Cardinals Return Hits Another Cruel Twist

The St. Louis Cardinals' bullpen depth took a hit down in the minors on Wednesday.

Packy Naughton, who hasn't pitched in a big league game since 2023 as he has battled through elbow injuries, impressed throughout Spring Training. He made seven appearances with the Cardinals and it was a triumphant return. He had a 1.29 ERA in seven innings of work. But he didn't make the club out of camp so he could fully ramp up down in Triple-A.

Unfortunately, though, there was a scare on Wednesday night involving his elbow. The lefty tossed a pitched in the sixth inning and then doubled over in pain.

Absolutely HEARTBREAKING stuff.

Packy Naughton throws the ball. He is hurt afterward. This poor young man. pic.twitter.com/fGaQfLtneu
— Kyle Reis, 58% Neanderthal (@kyler416) April 9, 2026

Packy Naughton Is Heading To The IL

Feb 14, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Packy Naughton (71) speaks to catcher Ivan Herrera (48) during a spring training workout at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

On Thursday, the team announced on X that Naughton is being placed on the 7-Day Injured List.

"RHP Nelfy Ynfante has been transferred from Palm Beach (A) to Springfield (AA)," the team announced. "LHP Packy Naughton (AAA) & RHP Tyler Bradt (AA) have been placed on the 7-day IL."

As of writing, the severity of the injury has not been announced. John Denton of Roundtable Sports reported that Naughton will undergo an MRI later in the week.

"An MRI to examine the damage in the elbow was scheduled for later this week and the Cardinals placed Naughton on the seven-day [IL] on Thursday, per president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom," Denton wrote.

While this is the case, it's more bad news for someone who has dealt with it over and over throughout the last few seasons with St. Louis. In 2022, Naughton played a solid role for St. Louis and appeared in 26 games and pitched to a 4.78 ERA. In 2023, he appeared in four games and didn't allow an earned run, but had his season cut short. He has undergone two different surgeries since then as he has tried to get back to the majors.

He has three appearances under his belt down in the minors with Triple-A Memphis and a 3.86 ERA in 2 1/3 innings pitched.

At this point, we wait to see what the results will be. It's hard not to root for him and hope that he has avoided anything serious. As more information is shared, it will be provided here. The Cardinals' bullpen as a whole hasn't been great this season, outside of JoJo Romero and Riley O'Brien. There is a real pathway to innings for Naughton if he avoids anything serious and can return to the mound soon. He showed in Spring Training that he still has it and he's still just 29 years old, despite all of the injuries and time missed.

Right now, we all wait and hope he doesn't get any more bad news.