The Cubs were closing in on a postseason berth when Alex Bregman went down in a moment that looked far too familiar to Cardinals fans. Bregman, Chicago’s starting third baseman, took a foul ball near the left eye while standing in the on-deck circle, and the sight instantly brought back an old Cardinals wound.
That wound belongs to Juan Encarnación.
Encarnación opened 2007 as St. Louis’ starting right fielder and was hitting .283 with a .769 OPS on Aug. 31 when disaster struck.
While taking practice swings and waiting for his turn at the plate, he was hit near the left eye by a foul ball off Aaron Miles. The impact shattered his orbital bone, fractured the eye socket in several places and left him with a concussion.
At the time, Cardinals medical director George Paletta called it "the worst trauma I've ever seen," and the damage was severe enough to end Encarnación’s career. He lost a significant amount of vision in his left eye and never played baseball again.
For Cardinals fans, that injury still sits among the painful reminders that came with those otherwise exciting 2000s and 2010s teams. The organization also endured the deaths of highly touted prospect Oscar Taveras, starting pitcher Darryl Kile and reliever Josh Hancock. In Taveras’ case, the loss may have helped speed up the franchise’s decline.
There was also Rick Ankiel, whose pitching career was derailed by a sudden loss of control before he later reinvented himself as a solid outfielder with a cannon arm. Encarnación’s injury came while Ankiel’s comeback was nudging him out of the starting job.
Bregman’s status was still unclear as of this writing. One detail that may offer some relief is that the ball bounced before hitting him, which likely meant it didn’t come in with the same force that struck Encarnación 19 years ago.
Still, even if Bregman only misses a few games, the moment should ring a bell for anyone in St. Louis who remembers how quickly a baseball incident can turn serious.
And that’s the bigger point here. Baseball can get petty, loud and tribal, but sometimes it asks for something simpler.
Cardinals fans know what that fear feels like. They’ve lived it before.
In Other News...
Blues Camp Injury Just Raised The Stakes For One Young Defenseman
Tyler Tuckers camp has taken an unwelcome turn after the defenseman went down with a knee injury during drills, forcing him to miss a preseason game and leaving the Blues without much clarity on when he might be back. Jim Montgomery said Tucker will be re-evaluated in a few days, which is the kind of update that keeps a spot on the blue line in flux this early in camp.
That uncertainty opens a door for Adam Jiricek, the Blues 2024 first-round pick, to make a real push for roster consideration. Jiricek is still expected to start the season in the AHL, but injuries have a way of reshaping camp competition quickly, and Tuckers absence gives the young defenseman a chance to show he can stay in the conversation a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
Blues May Have Found A Goalie Answer Sooner Than Expected
Georgii Romanov has already given the Blues a little more than expected in the preseason, and not just in the box score. In two exhibition appearances, the goaltender has looked composed enough to keep the conversation alive about where he fits in St. Louis longer-term picture, especially after his strong postseason stretch with Springfield helped put him on the organizations radar.
Romanovs rise matters because the Blues are still sorting out their future in net, and depth at the position rarely comes easy. He is not being handed anything yet, but the early returns suggest the club may have a real option developing behind the current group, one that could grow into a backup role as other prospects continue to move through the system. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Blue Line Has One Problem That Could Decide Everything
The Blues blue line looks deeper than it has in years, but the real question for next season is how the pieces fit when the games start to count. Philip Broberg is viewed as the groups top defenseman, Colton Parayko still has the size and experience to anchor a top pair if his game holds, and Logan Mailloux gives St. Louis another young right-shot option with upside. Add Cam Fowlers steadying influence and Brandon Carlos chance to rebound under Jim Montgomery, and the Blues have a defense corps with far more structure than it did not long ago.
Even with that depth, the lineup does not fully sort itself out. The final rotation spot among Theo Lindstein, Adam Jiricek and Tyler Tucker could end up mattering more than it seems in camp, because the Blues need reliable minutes beyond the top four and cant afford to guess wrong on their sixth defenseman. Jiricek appears to be the likeliest to begin in Springfield, but that only underscores how much the competition still depends on who shows the most readiness before opening night. [Read more 🡒]